Congress leaders from Telangana region, including ministers and MPs, on Sunday decided to continue staying away from official work in order to mount pressure on the Centre for the creation of a separate state.
They would, however, participate in the official functions on the Independence Day.
“We have decided to continue the present policy of staying away from official duties,” Congress MP G Sukhender Reddy told reporters here, after a meeting of the Telangana Congress Steering Committee at the residence of its chairman and Rajya Sabha Member K Keshav Rao.
Asked how long the boycott would continue, Congress MLA Gandra Venkataramana Reddy said the MPs would continue to stay away from Parliament session unless the party leadership gave a directive to attend in the event of any crisis.
Asked if the State ministers too would boycott Cabinet meetings, he said maintaining status quo covered all aspects of abstaining from official work.
The Telangana Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs had submitted resignations on July 4 this year. The resignations of the MLAs were, however, rejected by the Assembly Speaker. All of them, including State ministers, have been staying away from the official work since then.
There were expectations that Telangana Congress leaders would resume their duties in the wake of the repeal of Clause 14 (f) of 1975 Presidential Order that had made Hyderabad a free zone for employment.
Few ministers from Telangana region reportedly attended some functions and official work in the last few days.
Telangana Congress Steering Committee meeting thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the deletion of Clause 14 (f), which was a long—pending demand of pro—Telangana leaders.
Congress leaders from the region hoped that the Centre would come out with a positive response to the separate statehood demand by September 17, the day the erstwhile Nizam state became a part of the Indian Union, Mr. Sukhender Reddy said.
“Ghulam Nabi Azad said the consultation process may take two months for completion. Already 20 days have passed,” he said.
Mr. Azad has been holding consultations with the party leaders from the three regions of Andhra Pradesh - Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra and Telangana - to find a consensus.
The steering committee meeting also called upon the party activists to unfurl the ‘Telangana flag’ along with the national flag tomorrow.
