Massive public meet in Hyderabad demands early Telangana

Thousands of people attended a massive public meeting in Hyderabad on Sunday to demand the central government to speed up the process for formation of separate Telangana state.

The meeting organised by Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) at Nizam College Grounds in the heart of the city urged the central government to take immediate steps to carve out the separate state.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao said separate Telangana state would soon be a reality but warned of another agitation if any hurdles were created.

Making it clear that there will be no compromise on Telangana state comprising 10 districts with Hyderabad as the capital, he asked the people to remain alert and continue their movement with the same spirit till the goal is achieved.

Referring to the protests against Congress party's decision in Seemandhra, KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said there was no question of people of Telangana staying in united Andhra Pradesh as there is a vertical division between the two regions.

The TRS chief ridiculed the demands for package to Seemandhra and said it was Telangana which deserved a package as it was the victim of injustice since its merger with Andhra state in 1956.

He wanted the central government to accord national project status to two irrigation projects, set up an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and sanction new railway lines for the region.

Coming down heavily on Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for acting as a spokesman of Seemandhra, KCR predicted that he would be removed from the post by Oct 6.

He also targeted Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N.Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress party leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy and said all leaders from Seemandhra were all one in opposing Telangana.

TJAC convenor M Kodandaram described the Telangana movement as a movement for survival by the people who suffered injustice under Andhra rulers.

Leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (CPI), government employees from Telangana, students, women and people's organisations addressed the meeting, the first major show of strength by Telangana groups after July 30 decision of the Congress party to carve out Telangana state.

Earlier, various people's organisations took out rallies and staged sit-in at various places in the city to highlight the demand for speeding up the process for formation of separate Telangana state.

Women activists gathered at Gun Park in front of the assembly building. They were holding placards which read 'Hyderabad sirf hamara hai' (Hyderabad is only ours).