Ahead of the all-party meeting convened by the Centre in Delhi on Tuesday, Telangana protagonists on Sunday stepped up their campaign demanding that Parliament pass a legislation for the creation of the separate state and fix a time-frame for the purpose.
A massive rally of students mobilised in Hyderabad from all 10 districts of Telangana region, permission for which was granted by the High Court yesterday, sent out a clear message that there was no need for adopting a resolution in Andhra Pradesh assembly favouring creation of Telangana.
The rally at Osmania University, the nerve centre of Telangana agitation, addressed by Telangana activists and Naxalite sympathisers including poet Varavara Rao, decided to observe a rail and road blockade on January 5 to prevent buses and trains coming from Andhra and Rayalaseema areas.
This is to counter a similar bandh announced by activists, who are campaigning for a united Andhra Pradesh, in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, and would coincide with the talks the Centre has convened with eight recognized political parties of the state.
The speakers at the meeting also asked leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP and PRP's Chiranjeevi to come out with their stand and not vacillate or make U-turns on the issue of creation of Telangana.
Some of the speakers even warned that Gandhi Bhawan, state Congress headquarters and NTR Bhawan, TDP head office, in Hyderabad would be razed to the ground if Telangana is not achieved.
Telangana Rasthra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Sunday that he would stay back in Delhi after the Centre-convened meet on Telangana on Tuesday to meet leaders of political parties in a bid to garner their support for the separate state.
Rao told reporters before leaving for Delhi that during his stay in the national capital he would also meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC President Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumari and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
The TSR chief said the "true colours" of political parties from the state will come out in the January 5 meeting convened by the Centre over Telangana.
The Centre has called a meeting of eight political parties from Andhra Pradesh in Delhi to discuss the Telangana issue.
"It is only at the meeting that the real stand of different political parties will be known... which of the parties are supporting the separate state demand and which are opposing," Rao, who was accompanied by party idealogue K Jayshankar, said.
Rao alleged more than one lakh students from different districts of Telagana region were today prevented by police in various places from participating in the students rally at Osmania University in Hyderabad despite the high court order allowing the event. PTI
