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Protests began in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of Andhra Pradesh, also called Seemandhra, against any move to divide the state. |
The protests erupted after the Congress Party hinted at an early decision on the Telangana issue.
Samaikhya Andhra or the United Andhra Joint Action Committee (JAC) staged the protests in Kadapa and Anantapur districts of the Rayalaseema region, demanding that the state be kept united.
Students took out a rally in Kadapa. They tried to lay siege to the district collector’s office. The protesters raised slogans against political leaders for keeping silent over the central government’s proposed move to divide the state.
In Anantapur, the JAC organised a similar protest, demanding that the central government not divide the state. Interestingly, the protests began a day after a minister from the region, T G Venkatesh said unlike in the past there was no public support to their campaign for keeping the state united.
In Hyderabad, Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samiti (RPS) founder Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy began a 52-hour hunger strike, demanding separate statehood for Rayalaseema region. He said Rayala-Telangana state (comprising Rayalaseema and Telangana region) would not be acceptable to the people of Rayalaseema.
Byreddy alleged that though Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress party leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy all come from Rayalaseema, nobody was doing anything for the future of the region.
Byreddy, who quit the Telugu Desam Party to float the RPS last year, said Rayalaseema would not merge with either Telangana or coastal Andhra. “A separate Rayalaseema state is our only option,” he said.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is spearheading the movement for a separate Telangana state, yesterday held a round-table meeting in New Delhi to garner support of various national and regional political parties.
The meeting passed a resolution, demanding the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government abide by the December 9, 2009 statement that the process for formation of the Telangana state would be initiated.