Telangana shadow over UN meet

Ahead of the prestigious United Nations conference on biodiversity in Hyderabad, the proposed protest programme by the Telangana joint action committee (T-JAC) is keeping the Andhra Pradesh government on its toes. Intelligence inputs have reportedly pointed at the possibility of violence during the protest which is to be in the form of a march by tens of thousands of pro-Telangana activists.

The T-JAC comprising various political parties including the Telangana faction of the ruling Congress party, BJP, CPI, employee groups and other groups, has been working on gathering Telangana activists in Hyderabad on September 30 and stage a protest on the Tank Bund in the heart of the city.

As part of its strategy to avoid a conflict with the pro-Telangana protestors ahead of the conference, the Andhra Pradesh government has allowed the T-JAC to conduct its protest programme in Hyderabad on October 1.

After a day-long deliberations with the T-JAC representatives with the mediation of the cabinet ministers hailing from Telangana region, the state government has allowed the protest to be held on the Necklace Road in Hyderabad between 3 pm and  7 pm.

“The government and the chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy have allowed the protest programme and the Telangana supporters should make use of the opportunity to peacefully exhibit their feelings towards achieving a separate Telangana state,” K Janareddy, said a senior Congress minister.