The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is in the throes of breaking up, has suspended its co-chairman N. Prahalad and convenor Pittala Ravinder in the wake of their open letter of Monday questioning the political ambitions of chairman M. Kodandaram.
The decision to suspend both of them was taken at the steering committee meeting of the JAC on Tuesday. Reacting to the decision, Mr. Prahalad and Mr. Ravinder said they would announce their action plan at a meeting with their colleagues on Wednesday. Mr. Prahalad said the suspension was meaningless because the JAC was an informal body that came into existence on the basis of an understanding between activists supporting separate Telangana.
Voice of the masses
A release after the steering committee meeting of the JAC said the revolt in the organisation was triggered by leaders in the government who could not digest the success of the recent rally of the organisation to highlight unemployment problem. They could not see JAC as a powerful voice of the masses. The government conspired to lure some individuals and create confusion among people in an attempt to eliminate voice of protest. There was no danger to the existence of JAC from those who revolted due to the allurements of government. In fact, the JAC would take its programmes to masses more strongly.
The release also said it was unwise to weaken forces that had tried to solve people’s problems by misusing authority and through immoral methods. It was not expected of people who had respect for democratic values. Sources said the steering committee decided to hold the general body meeting of the JAC shortly to approve the suspension of Mr. Prahalad and Mr. Ravinder. The meeting noted that some ruling TRS leaders had called up both of them over the phone and offered money and posts if they severed links with the JAC. Barring a couple of office-bearers from districts who had attended Monday’s meeting chaired by Mr. Prahalad and Mr. Ravinder, none of the others was part of the JAC. Even those two had said that they turned up because they were invited.
