Telangana agitation to intensify again, warns TRS

In a bid to intensify its demand of statehood for Telangana once again, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has lined up a series of agitations this month.

"In view of the year-end exams of students, we had intentionally slowed down the movement. But we have planned to give it a momentum once again, and hence, we have come out with an action plan," TRS president Chandrasekhar Rao told mediapersons on Thursday after holding a meeting of the TRS state executive committee at the party office.

The agitation will start with road blockades on May 14 and sit-ins on May 19 at mandal headquarters followed by students' convention in Hyderabad on May 23, he said, adding that Telangana supporters would lay a siege at the district collector's office on May 25 while a 'rail roko' would be held on May 30.

However, some programmes will be taken up without making prior announcement, Rao said.

"The Telangana agitation would move towards reaching the pinnacle. All the supporters of Telangana should participate in it," he said.

When asked about Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's new party YSR Congress, Rao said Reddy's new party was yet to announce its stand on various issues including Telangana.

"Whether it is Jagan, Chandrababu Naidu or CM Kiran Kumar Reddy, there is no place for integrationists in Telangana. There were occasions when all three of them had to face the ire of Telangana people," he said.

Asked if the TRS would support Telugu Desam Party leader Nagam  Janardhan Reddy, who held a public meeting against president N Chandrababu Naidu's wishes, Rao pointed out that Reddy still followed the orders of Naidu, who is anti-Telangana.

Replying to a query, he said that TRS would always be ready for mid-term polls if the Congress government fell due to the Jagan factor.

Rao said the TRS state executive has passed resolutions on various public issues concerning Telangana. Some of them include the demand that the chief minister should not go ahead with the recruitment of police sub-inspectors until Clause 14 (F) of Presidential Order is scrapped by the Centre, as it went against the interest of Telangana people, he said.

Another resolution demands a redesigning of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project by the state government, as it "threatened to affect the Sultan Bazar market, a place of historical importance, in Hyderabad," the resolution stated.

On the issue of farmers, TRS said the government should take immediate steps to procure paddy from farmers at a remunerative support price.

The TRS has also sought clarification from the state government whether the Polavaram project in coastal Andhra or Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project in Telangana would get national status from the Centre, as only one of them would be awarded this status.