Telangana: New body formed, calls for Jan 4 bandh

Further deepening the current crisis in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana, political parties and organisation of students, teachers and intellectuals have formed a new Joint Action Committee to fight to preserve the unity of the state. The new body has called for a bandh on January 4.

The new JAC, formed at a day-long meeting in Vijaywada on Saturday, has given a call for strike in Andhra and Rayala Seema region on January 4 and observe Black Day on January 5 as a protest against the proposed meeting convened by the Centre on the demand for Telangana state.

The JAC will try to bring pressure on the Centre against conceding the demand for Telangana state, said the JAC president Prof Samuel.

"The main aim of calling the strike and Black Day is to take our voices to New Delhi and make the Central understand the feelings and emotions of the people of Andhra and Rayala Seema," said Samuel.

State Congress secretary A Rambabu, Congress legislator from Vijaywada Devineni Rajasekhar alias Nehru and senior Telugu Desam Party leader and former home minister Kodela Sivaprasad Rao, TDP legislators G Muddukrishnamma Naidu, D Umamaheshwara Rao were among the host of Andhra politicians who attended the meeting.

The representatives from various universities, including Andhra University of Visakhapatanam and Acharya Nagarjuna University of Guntur, said that students were ready to make any sacrifice to protect the unity of the state and they were not worried about losing an academic year.

Rambabu said that now the people of Andhra and Rayala Seema should be ready for a prolonged struggle as there was a serious threat of state breaking in to pieces.