Telangana polls: Hundreds of candidates, intentions suspect

Independent Media

Later this month, Telangana will vote for 12 new MLAs. These are vacancies created by politicians who resigned in protest over what they describe as the lack of support from the Centre and the state government for a separate Telangana state.

There's no shortage of candidates. The Warangal (West) constituency alone has 117 candidates. All but one are independent candidates. It's not just a desire to serve the people that's at play. Sources say parties want to ensure that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), famous for being tamper-proof, cannot be used. An EVM can deal with a maximum of 64 nominations. Hence, the surging numbers.

The party that's alleged to be pushing this agenda is the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), headed by Chandrasekhar Rao. The TRS refused to comment on the accusations. It has, however, appealed to the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), to not field any candidates. But they didn't oblige.

Narasimha, a candidate, says politicians' antipathy for EVMs has nothing to do with the fact that they can't be manipulated. "Many countries like USA, Japan came to ballot paper after problems arose with EVMs. In our country also we need this. That is the main reason for so many nominees."

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is Monday, July 12. Officials of the Election Commission say the pressure tactics won't work. "There is no problem. There have been cases where large number of nominations were received but elections were conducted," says IV Subba Rao, Chief Electoral Officer, Andhra Pradesh.

Congress turns heat on its T-MLAs

Telangana Congress MLAs will meet on January 21 to decide on the withdrawal of resignations in the wake of the Congress high command sending a stern message on the issue.

Ministers, MPs and MLAs have decided to abide by the diktats of the high command but also decided to continue to bring pressure on the leadership for the formation of Telangana.

On Monday evening, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, called the PCC chief, Mr D. Srinivas, and enquired about the withdrawals of resignations by the MLAs.

Mr Srinivas then convened an emergency meeting with the available party MLAs that was attended by the former ministers, Mr K. Jana Reddy and Mr R. Damodar Reddy. He reportedly told them about the “seriousness” of the message he received from the high command.

After the discussion both the former ministers came out of the meeting and announced that a meeting would be held on January 21 to decide on the withdrawal of resignations.

Earlier, after the Cabinet meeting in the afternoon, the higher education minister, Mr D. Sridhar Babu, said it was not fair of the Telangana Joint Action Committee to fix deadlines and expressed the hope that the Congress high command will look into all aspects of the issue.

Ministers and MPs from Telangana are planning to go to Delhi together to request party leaders to announce a time frame for addressing the issue.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Speaker, Mr N. Kirankumar Reddy, has reportedly decided to have a one-on-one meeting with MLAs who submitted their resignations to ascertain the circumstances that led to the act.

The Speaker decided to hasten the process of with the government planning the Budget Session of the House in the second week of February.

PC invites KCR to Delhi for T

Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday said he has invited TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao here to discuss the next step for formation of a separate Telangana state.

"I am happy to inform the House that by and large normalcy has been restored in Hyderabad," said Chidambaram in the Rajya Sabha.

He said Rao had spoken to him this morning and thanked all sections of the House for resolving the issue.

"I have invited Rao to Delhi to discuss the next step", the Home Minister said.

Earlier, senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu took exception to Chidambaram announcing the Telangana decision outside Parliament though his party welcomed carving out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu said the government was taking Parliament lightly by announcing policy decisions outside and it was not only the question of privilege but a propriety of the House.

Chidambaram said he could not have waited to make the announcement on Telangana as the government could "brook no delay" against the backdrop of the situation in the state.

In any case, he said what was announced late on Wednesday was a "re-statement" of the earlier decision of the government.

stupid Decision by Centre: T-backlash: MP, MLAs resign; Bandh called in state

he Vijayawada Congress MP, Mr Lagadapati Rajgopal, and 60 MLAs from all parties resigned to protest the Centre's decision to initiate the process of carving Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, all parties have given a call for a bandh to protest the decision.

Two senior Congress MLAs and former ministers J.C. Diwakar Reddy and D.L. Ravindra Reddy on Thursday also resigned from their post. While Diwakar Reddy represents Tadipatri Assembly constituency in the backward Anantapur district, Ravindra Reddy is from Mydukuru in Kadapa district of Rayalaseema Both were strong proponents of a unified state.

All the MLAs who submitted resignations belong to coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of the State. However, the Assembly speaker is yet to accept their resignations. The Congress has 158 out of the 294 seats in the Assembly with just 10 seats majority.

The MLAs have strongly decried the Congress high command's "unilateral decision" to initiate the process for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

"This decision is very painful for us. Lakhs of poeple from other regions of the state have come to Hyderabad in search of livelihood. What would be their fate if the state is split," P. Venkatramaya, a Congress legislator from Krishna district, said in the Assembly.

Telugu Desam MLA P. Raghunatha Reddy said they resigned from their posts as the Congress took a unilateral decision to move a motion in the state assembly for the formation of Telangana State.

Informed sources said TDP MLA Ramakrishna from Venkatagiri in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district too resigned.

But TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu is said to be dissuading his party MLAs from doing so.

Congress sources said many more MLAs from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema have said they would resign ahead of the proposed resolution in the Assembly seeking creation of Telangana state.

Several ministers and MLAs hailing from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions have strongly decried the Congress high command's "unilateral decision" to initiate the process for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

The Congress legislators from these regions are in consultation with their colleagues in Telugu Desam Party and trying to muster support against the division of the state.

TRS stalls Assembly

As their leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao's fast-unto-death entered the 10th day on Tuesday, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) legislators repeatedly stalled proceedings in the Andhra Pradesh assembly demanding a resolution on a separate state of Telangana.

Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy had to adjourn the house twice as TRS legislators rushed to the podium after he rejected their adjournment motion. The TRS wanted the house to pass a resolution for a separate state of Telangana.

As soon as the house met for the day, TRS legislators were on their feet demanding that their adjournment motion be taken up and that an official resolution to carve out a separate Telangana state be moved.

Pandemonium prevailed in the house as TRS workers raised slogans of "Jai Telangana" and rushed towards the speaker's podium after he rejected the adjournment motion and tried to go ahead with the listed agenda.

Even after the speaker adjourned the house for 15 minutes, TRS legislators remained where they were raising slogans of "Jai Telangana". Ruling Congress party legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions countered them with slogans of "Jai Andhra" and "Jai Rayalaseema" respectively.

After the house reassembled, TRS stuck to its demand while the other opposition parties supported it. Amid the din, the speaker adjourned the house for half-an-hour.

TRS, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and all other parties except Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) are demanding that the house pass a resolution on Telangana while the ruling party said it would abide by the decision of its central leadership.

The parties expressed their views at an emergency all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Monday night on the direction of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The MIM sought two days to take a decision.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP), at its meeting last evening, authorised Sonia Gandhi to take a decision. Party legislators from three regions of the state expressed divergent views over the Telangana issue.

Rosaiah reported the outcome of both the meetings to Sonia Gandhi, who went into a huddle with senior party leaders like Pranab Mukherjee, Veerappa Moily and Ahmed Patel.

She is likely to take a decision Tuesday to resolve the ongoing Telangana agitation triggered by the TRS chief's indefinite hunger strike.

Meanwhile, after a 48-hour shutdown, life is returning to normal in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana.

State-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses returned on the roads after two days while shops, business establishments and educational institutions have reopened.

Centre to decide on Telangana: CM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah on Tuesday said that the central government would take a decision on the bifurcation of the state to create a separate Telangana.

As Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhara Rao continued his fast-unto-death for the 10th day, Rosaiah told reporters that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was informed of the Telangana issue.

Rosaiah said his government would abide by the decision of the central government. Telangana region comprises 10 districts including Greater Hyderabad.

"If the central government takes a decision, there may be no need for passing a resolution in the assembly," he said, referring to the demand by TRS and other opposition parties.

Rosaiah said he has brought to the notice of Congress president Sonia Gandhi the opinions expressed by various parties at a meeting on Monday night.

"I have sent a report to the high command and I hope it will consider the same today," the Chief Minister said.

Rosaiah said he would go to New Delhi on Wednesday to greet Sonia Gandhi on her birthday.

State Congress president D. Srinivas on Monday reached New Delhi and apprised the leadership of the Telangana agitation.

Though the ruling party has said that it would abide by Sonia Gandhi's decision and legislators authorised her to take a decision, it appeared divided over Telangana.

Divergent views were expressed by Congress legislators from Telangana, Rayalaseema and Andhra regions at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Monday evening.

The party legislators from Rayalaseema would meet on Tuesday evening to discuss the issue while legislators from Greater Hyderabad would hold a separate meeting on Wednesday.

A section of Congress legislators from Rayalseema want a separate state for the region, which comprises four districts.

At least two ministers from greater Hyderabad wanted union territory status for the city in view of the large number of settlers living here.

Realtors fear crushing impact from ‘Tlenga Movement by TRS is ended

Builders and developers fear that the resurgence of the Telangana movement will have a “crushing” impact on the real estate market in and around Hyderabad, which is already going through a bad patch.

If the Telangana agitation continues for a long time, the investors and players in the real estate industry can forget about any hopes of a revival in the next three years. Although the price of land and housing units will not come down further, there will be no increase in prices in the near future.

The immediate adverse impact will be on the “just picked up” sales of housing units in the range of Rs 15-30 lakh. Mr Jaiveer Reddy of Ashoka Builders said while the market for high-end flats and housing units is yet to pick up, business in the below Rs 30 lakh category had started showing signs of improvement.

Sales in this category may now slow down with the revival of the Telangana sentiment as prospective buyers would prefer to wait and watch. Mr G. Anand Reddy, the executive director of real estate giant PBA Infrastructures Ltd., agrees that the rise of the ‘T’ factor has come at a time when the lower-end market was showing signs of improvement, holding out hope of a revival in the high-end market too.

However, Andhra Pradesh Builders’ Forum president, Mr Ch. Shekhar Reddy, said the market was already at its lowest and the Telangana unrest cannot cause it any more damage.

“Some builders are selling flats at even Rs 1,400 per sq feet, although with low quality components and less specifications. At the most, they will stop selling the units. But they cannot reduce the price because they can’t go below Rs 1,400 per sq ft which is almost a break-even point,” he said.

Ramky Real Estate Group chairman, Mr Ayodhya R. Reddy, said the unrest will hit hard those builders who are already paying huge interest on money they borrowed for high-end housing projects.

osaiah defends KCR arrest

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, on Sunday night justified the arrest of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, ahead of his fast-unto-death demanding separate Telangana, saying it is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order.

"His (Chandrasekhar Rao) speeches and the language he is using over the last one week are not correct. We have the responsibility to maintain law and order. We waited patiently. We had to take this action only to ensure that the situation does not go out of control. In a way, this is like a preventive arrest," Mr Rosaiah said.

The way the TRS chief prepared for the fast and the tense atmosphere that built up warranted the arrest, he said.

Maintaining that Congress is not opposed to the formation of separate Telangana, he said the TRS should wait for the Congress high command to take a decision.

"Before 2004 elections, Congress and TRS had reached an understanding and entrusted the responsibility of solving the issue with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Rao agreed for that. Congress high command is thinking on the matter. They have appointed a committee and trying for consensus. While that process is on, it is not fair to resort to extreme action.

"It is not easy for the Centre to take quick decisions on division of a state. They have to take into consideration various issues. So we cannot find fault with anyone over the delay in taking a decision at the Central level. The process of consultation is on," he said.