The Jan 28 deadline by the UPA government for announcing its stand on separate Telangana is all set to send the region in general and Hyderabad city in particular back to its earlier days of agitations with student JACs gearing up for an offensive.
Splinter groups of Telangana Students Joint Action Committee have announced their future course of action including call to observe Telangana bandh on Jan 29 if the UPA government does not come out with a decision in favour of statehood.
Come Jan 28, and the city may come to a standstill yet again, with one of the TSJAC groups all set to conduct a ‘Telangana Maha Vidyarthi Pradarshana’ at Indira Park for a separate state. Student leaders from Osmania University (OU) confirmed that the programme was the result of a meeting held with various students and representatives of other T-organisaitions held on Saturday.
“We are prepared to do anything for a separate state. Students from various parts of the region will join the rally and we will bring Hyderabad to a standstill again if the UPA government comes up with an anti-Telangana decision,” said M Krishank, spokesperson of OU Joint Action Committee.
He said all student organisations in OU as well as other universities will arrive in the city for a rally. A student leader on condition of anonymity revealed that mass campaigning through text messages had already begun for the programme.
Mandala Bhaskar, president of OUJAC, said this time, the number of students participating in the agitation, would be much bigger.
In order to spread awareness about the programme on January 28, student leaders are planning to take out a bike rally on Jan 23 and 24. “This is the final decision. It’s now or never. We have done it before, and now that the goal is in sight, we will protest until we achieve a separate state,” asserted Krishank.
With regard to the proposed procession, DCP, Central Zone, VB Kamalasan Reddy, maintained that no such procession would be allowed without prior permission.
On Jan 24, students would take an oath at the martyrs memorial in all district headquarters to fight for T statehood. “On Republic Day, T flags would be hoisted along with the National Flag at all district headquarters,’’ TSJAC president P Kailash said.