The demand for separate statehood to Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh is picking up momentum with the BJP's fast in the national capital Wednesday and a committee setting a September 29 deadline for the UPA government to initiate the process for the same.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), which comprises Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), BJP and other pro-Telangana groups, set September 29 as the deadline for the Congress led-central government to initiate the process for formation of the separate state.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao also left Hyderabad for New Delhi Wednesday to hold crucial talks with the Congress leadership on Telangana amid hopes by TRS and Congress leaders from the region that the government would shortly announce a favourable decision.
A delegation of TJAC leaders Wednesday called on union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress general secretary incharge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad in the national capital.
The TJAC urged the central leaders to initiate the process for carving out Telangana state in line with the Dec 9, 2009 announcement by then home minister P. Chidambaram.
Following massive protests in Telangana, the UPA government had announced that the process for creation of separate state would be initiated. It, however, backed down after mass resignations of MPs and state legislators and violent protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
The TJAC leaders said that if the central government failed to give a categorical assurance, they would go ahead with a Telangana march in Hyderabad Sep 30. They also made it clear that the government alone would be responsible for any disruption at the UN conference on bio-diversity beginning in Hyderabad on Oct 1.
'Million march' by TJAC on March 10, 2010 had led to violence with the protestors vandalizing statues of Andhra leaders on the banks of Hussain Sagar.
TJAC convenor M. Kodandaram told reporters that they hope the United Progressive Alliance government would respect the sentiments and the aspirations of people of Telangana.
They called on the central leaders on a day when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president G. Kishan Reddy's three-day fast for Telangana state concluded at Jantar Mantar. Addressing the gathering, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said she had no doubt over the formation of a separate state.
The BJP leaders and workers were Tuesday arrested by the police when they tried to march towards the Prime Minister's residence, demanding immediate tabling of the bill for formation of Telangana state.