TRS protests mar AP formation celebrations

Hyderabad, Nov 1 (UNI)The Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the formation of the first linguistic state of Andhra Pradesh today was marred by 'Telangana Bandh' called by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti(TRS), which evoked a mixed response.

Reports of celebrations and protests came in from different parts of the State.

Taking part in the celebrations at the NTR grounds, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy rededicated himself to realise the vision of founding fathers of unified Andhra Pradesh for all-round development of the State and referred to great sacrifices made by various leaders, including Potti Sriramulu, who laid down his life and first Chief Minister of Hyderabad State B Ramakrishna Rao, who sacrificed the post, for the unified State.

Observing the day as 'Telangana Betrayal Day', 15 TRS legislators and thousands of party activists blocked rail and road traffic and courted arrest across the Telangana region in protest against the alleged 'injustice' meted out to Telangana under the unified set-up.

Terming the bandh to protest against ''the plunder of Telangana by the settlers in the last 50 years', as a ''success,'' TRS President and Former Union Labour Minister K Chandrasekara Rao dismissed as ''false propoganda''the so called development slogan chanted by Dr Reddy and referred to continuing 'high incidence of suicide by farmers and starvation deaths of Handloom Weavers in the region''.

As many as 15 TRS MLAs and thousands of party activists courted arrest, blocking rail and road traffic across the Telangana region.

Former Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, MLA who led the protest here, was arrested along with party activists. The Students of the Osmania University, as also the Nizam College in the city boycotted their classes and joined the stir. Osmania varsity students deflated tyres of buses to enforce bandh call.

Police resorted to lathicharge, as the agitation turned violent in Khammam district. The agitators forced closure of shops and stoned buses.

The New Delhi-bound AP Express was detained by TRS activists, led by its Legislature Party leader G Vijayarama Rao in Warangal for over twenty minutes.

In Nalgonda party MLA Dr G Nagesh, before courting arrest alleged that Telangana was denied its rightful share of the State's resources.

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