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.

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.

Rosaih tells cops to be alert on KCR

The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, on Monday asked the police to be on high alert in the wake of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s proposed fast-unto-death slated from November 29.

The Chief Minister held a detailed review on the situation in Telangana districts with Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, chairman of committee on public safety and security, home minister, Ms P. Sabita Indra Reddy and the director-general of police, Mr R.R. Girish Kumar, at the former’s residence.

The meeting felt that the situation was so far under control but a constant vigil should be kept on the developments. The intelligence officials were believed to have briefed the Chief Minister that the response to the prayer meetings in Telangana districts was poor. There were places where not even 10 members were present, the officials said.

The meeting, however, expressed concern over the TRS attempting to instigate students and apprehended that they might be used as shield also if police try to break the fast. Asked whether additional forces would be deployed a senior official told this newspaper that the local force in Medak district had been handling the security arrangements so far. “The situation is not ripe for use of forces,” he said adding that the reinforcement plan would also be under place.

The meeting also took stock of the smooth conduct of the Greater Hyderabad polls.

Meanwhile, the TRS chief’s open meet programme in Kakatiya University campus on Monday attracted about 7,000 students from different parts of the district. Students’ leaders of 12 associations, affiliated to different political parties, including a large number of KU professors, extended moral support to KCR’s initiative.

Telengana boys furious as KCR ends fast

In a dramatic twist, pro-Telangana students who protested violently in support of the TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrashekhar Rao, turned on him angrily after he withdrew his “fast unto death” on Monday evening.

Mr Rao, who undertook his fast at the Khammam jail on Sunday, was shifted to the Government General Hospital where he ended the fast by accepting a glass of orange juice given by a doctor in the presence of photographers.

But students who had attacked policemen and public and private property for two days to support Mr Rao, did not take kindly to this sudden decision.

Students on the university campuses at Hyderabad, Warangal and Nizamabad protested the decision. They performed “shava yatras,” carrying effigies of Mr Rao in a mock funeral procession before setting it on fire.

Faced with the ire of the party cadre and students, Mr Rao later alleged that the police had “drugged” and “cheated” him in the hospital and forced him to break the fast. He alleged that the Greyhounds police personnel had, without permission, forcibly shifted him to the hospital. However, Mr Rao said, “I am determined to continue the struggle for a separate state.”

All through the day, TRS activists and students had gone on the rampage in Telangana districts, attacking passersby, damaging property, setting fire to vehicles and threatening suicide as part of the bandh called by the party to protest the arrest of Mr Rao. The bandh was total and disrupted normal life.

However, when students of Osmania University who had been engaged in pitched battles with the police learnt that Mr Rao had called off his fast, they changed tack and trained their guns at him.

“We have been deceived again,” said a student. “If Chenna Reddy had betrayed the students in 1969, KCR has repeated it 40 years later.” Angered at his decision, students took out a “KCR shava yatra” alleging that he betrayed theTelanaga people by claiming that he would continue the agitation till death.

“We were caned and locked in police stations, only to be betrayed by KCR,” said Jai Prakash, a student of Arts College. Baladeer Gaddar also criticised Mr Rao by saying that he had made it a habit to create drama to sustain his politics. “He is responsible for provoking the students and has to apologise,” he added.

In Nizamabad, students of Telangana University (TU) at Dichpally burnt the effigy of the TRS president. In Warangal too, his effigy was burned. Earlier, Mr Rao was shifted to the Government General Hospital from the Khammam sub-jail after his health condition appeared to deteriorate.

“He was on fast for the past 24 hours and didn’t take food in the jail,” said the Khammam jail superintendent, Mr B. Saidaiah. “He is a chronic diabetic patient.”

After ending his fast, Mr Rao said he was hurt by the suicide attempts of the students and called upon them to adopt new strategy to achieve the goals. “The agitation was launched not to commit suicide but to get separate statehood for 3.5 crore Telangana people,” he said. Specialist doctors who arrived from Hyderabad conducted medical tests and administered intravenous fluids to Mr Rao.

Throughout the day, areas surrounding Osmania University in the city saw much violence with students taking to the streets armed with sticks and clubs attacking vehicles, shops and even innocent passers-by.

Activists belonging to various students unions attacked the quarters of Dr M.D. Christopher, secretary of the AP State Council for Higher Education, and damaged his car and house. At 13 places in Telangana, TRS activists climbed cellphone towers threatening to jump to death if Mr Rao was not released. Train services were disrupted in North Telangana.

The DGP, Mr R.R. Girish Kumar, said 84 RTC buses were damaged and six set afire in the past two days. Around 3,767 TRS activists were arrested as preventive measure, he added.

Police, who aggressively caned agitating students on Sunday, remained mute spectators on Monday as bandh supporters indulged in violence. There was panic after a gunny bag containing bomb like objects was found near NIN.