JOIN USBraving the pouring rain and water cannons, thousands of Telangana activists gave Kiran Kumar Reddy’s government a rude shock by announcing that they no longer honour the dictum of the police to vacate the protest venue by 7 pm.
After occupying the Necklace Road allocated for them to organise the Telangana march, they have decided to stay there till the Union government declares a separate state. The government on Friday gave permission to the march only from 3pm to 7pm on Sunday, that too only on Necklace Road.
The mood of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) spearheading the movement changed after the state government through its massive police force tried to block several roads leading to the venue. Around 7 pm when the deadline was approaching T-JAC convener directed the agitators not to leave the venue but give way only for those injured in lathicharge.
The T-JAC also announced a five-point demand list, which includes resignation of all the ministers from the region, a road map for carving a separate state, release of all the arrested agitators and lifting of cases.
“Please come together and sit tight don’t leave the venue till Telangana is announced, we will not move even if the police drop bombs on us from helicopters,” Kodandaram said.
Meanwhile Osmania University-JAC has called for Telangana bandh for Monday.
Telangana MLAs and MPs were taken aback by the sudden change in the programme and met senior police and intelligence officials to discuss strategies to convince Prof Kodandaram to call off the march.
The government is worried about the fate of the prestigious CoP-11 convention beginning at the International Convention Centre in Hyderabad from Monday, in case the Telangana march spills over.