A day after home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy had requested senior Congress leader and Telangana crusader K.Kesava Rao to persuade the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee to postpone its march from September 30 to a later date, Rao and Telangana MPs in the ruling party hardened their stance on Monday and extended their wholehearted support to the March.
Further, Kesava Rao warned the state government against provoking the people of Telangana and creating hurdles to the march.
“We condemn the illegal arrest of Telangana revolutionary Arunodaya Vimalakka and demand her release immediately. We warn the government not to provoke the people of the Telangana by using its power.
Whether the government gives its permission to the march or not, all of us, including Telangana MPs, will definitely take part in it and make it a historic success,” he declared at a press conference he addressed along with party MPs M Jagannadham, G Vivekanand, Madhu Yashki Goud and Siricilla Rajaiah at his residence in Banajara Hills here on Monday.
Rao asked the government not to link the Telangana March to the Conference of Parties (CoP-11) as the march would be held in a peaceful manner.
Recalling home minister Sabita Reddy’s visit to his residence on Sunday, Kesava Rao said she had requested him to prevail upon the TJAC to postpone the march.
But, he made it clear to her that he would not mediate between the TJAC and the government.
Taking a dig at chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Kesava Rao wondered how Kiran Kumar Reddy, being a chief minister, could back the meeting of Seemandhra legislators held in Hyderabad a day ago at a time when the Telangana leaders were fully charged up. It was not appropriate for the chief minister to defend the Seemandhra leaders’ meeting by saying that Seemandhra leaders too were holding meetings to convey the aspirations of the people of their region to the high command. As Congress had promised statehood for the Telangana region in its manifesto, Telangana leaders were asking the high command to keep that promise, he explained.
Taking strong exception to the remarks of the chief minister that Telangana agitation was more intense in 1969 than now, Kesava Rao said that it was not fair for the chief minister to make such remarks. “In fact, the separate state movement is more intense now than in 1969. In 1969 the movement was confined to students but now it has percolated to various sections of people. In 1970, only 16 MPs supported the separate state demand but now only 16 MPs are opposing it and as many as 500 MPs are backing it. Moreover,the ongoing Telangana movement is a peaceful one,” Kesava Rao said. Rao, Yashki, Jagannadham and Vivek asked Seemandhra leaders in the Congress not to come in the way of formation of Telangana state at a time when the party high command was finalising its decision. If they did not refrain from scuttling the process of formation of separate state, they would have to face severe consequences, the Telangana leaders warned. They made it clear that they would not accept any other solution for their region. “There is no alternative to Telangana state. Any package will not work. We demand a Telangana state including Hyderabad and are ready to lay down our lives to achieve it,” the Congress MPs said.