TRS wants resolution on Telangana in Parliament

Siddipet (Andhra Pradesh), Sept 8: Demanding that a resolution be passed in both Parliament and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly to facilitate the formation of a separate Telangana state, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) today challenged the Congress MLAs and MPs elected from the Telangana region and offered to make its representatives to do so.

A resolution was unnanimously passed at a largely attended public meeting - the first after party supremo K Chandrasekhara Rao and another senior leader A Narendra quit the Union Cabinet - demanding that Parliament and the state Assembly pass resolutions providing for carving the Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.

Making a fiery speech to a gathering of around two lakh people, Mr Rao said formation of Telangana was mentioned in the Common Minimum Programme(CMP) of the UPA and President APJ Abdul Kalam's speech to both the Houses of Parliament.

He also said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also mentioned about the formation of Telangana state in his press conferences.

He claimed that the TRS had given oxygen to the breathless Congress party and brought it to power.

Mr Rao claimed that of the 42 parties in Parliament, 35 to 36 were supporting the formation of the Telangana state. Even the CPI(M) leaders told him that they were opposed to the formation of new states as a matter of principle, but had no objection if the TRS and Congress could manage to get Parliament pass the Bill with the support of the BJP, he added.

He said though even the BJP came forward to support the formation of the Telangana state, the Congress was hoodwinking the three-and-a-half crore people of the Telangana region.

Calling upon the people of the region to start a fight to finish, for the achievement of Telangana, Mr Rao said he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of the achievement of Telangana state.

He said a militant force of one lakh activists would be created for the purpose and campaign would be taken to the village level to create awareness among the people about their rights. He termed the fight that started today as the second freedom struggle.

Ridiculing the statement of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy that there was no need for a separate Telangana state as the state government was developing the region, Rao said though the 'Development Mantra' was uttered even during the regime of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, no development took place in the region.

Mr Rao said the people of Telangana were not willing to believe false promises of the government.

He finally gave a call to the party activists to go back to their places and carry forward the movement.

Party senior leader A Narendra, several academecians, lawyers and other intellectuals also took part in the public meeting, apart from party MLAs and MPs.

UNI