Telangana Congress leaders give jhalak to Azad

An extended meeting of Telangana Congress elected representatives and leaders on Monday unanimously decided not to respond to the meeting call of AICC general secretary in-charge of AP affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi until he takes back his controversial ‘Beijing statement” on Telangana. While on a visit to the Chinese capital last week, Azad had told the media that there was no question of moving even an inch on the Telangana issue until the state assembly passes a unanimous resolution in favour of the separate state.

The meeting attended by MP, MLAs, MLCs, ZP chairpersons, municipal chiefs and mandal presidents, along with scores of senior leaders, unanimously adopted a resolution urging the party high command to immediately take a decision on according statehood to Telangana.

“We are not against the talks. Telangana Congress leaders are well aware that talks alone are the way forward to resolve the Telangana tangle. But Azad’s anti-Telangana statement has vitiated the mood in the party. So, we have decided against attending the meeting called for by Azad with the region’s leaders on Monday,” Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao announced after the meeting. Azad was slated to meet with the Telangana party leaders in the national capital at 7 pm on Monday. Keshava Rao also ruled out the Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs taking back their resignations unless there was a positive statement on Telangana.

Talking to the media, Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy said the people of Telangana are demanding an explanation from Azad with regard to his Beijing statement.

“The Telangana people are hurt by the Congress general secretary’s statement which amounted to rejecting the demand for a separate Telangana state. Azad owes an explanation to the Telangana people. Only then will we consider attending the talks,” Reddy said.

The Congress MP said the apprehensions of the Seemaandhra Congress leaders with regard to the future of the people of their regions if the state is divided as baseless. “We will clarify every doubt of the Seemaandhra leaders. Let an announcement be made first on the formation of the Telangana state. We will then answer the questions raised by the leaders from the other regions. Whether it be with regard to sharing of water, jobs, the capital, education or the status of Hyderabad. We have answers to these questions and will dispel their doubts,” Reddy added.

The opposition to attending the meeting convened by Azad was unanimous. MPs Madhu Yaskhi Goud, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Manda Jagannatham, S Rajaiah, Ponnam Prabhakar said, ” By his Beijing statement, Azad has proved that he is biased against Telangana. Therefore, talks are not possible with a biased leader.” All the MPs demanded that Azad retract his Beijing staetement. “It is unbecoming of a union minister to talk of an sensitive internal matter from foreign soil,” said Yaskhi.

Reflecting the mood in the rural area, DCC presidents urged the leaders not to take back the resignations till an announcement is made on the Telangana state. “The people are for a protracted struggle. There is all round solidarity for the Congress. People would not take it kindly if the MPs and MLAs who resigned go for talks without any concrete assurance on the statehood demand,” G Gangadhar, DCC president, Nizambad district said.

Similarly, Khammam DCC president Vanama Venkateswarlu briefed the meeting about the situation in his district. Despite the attempts by some senior leaders like Renuka Chowdary and others to dilute the Telangana movement, the people were strongly backing the fight for Telangana, he said.

Earlier in the day, the steering committee of T Congress leaders met at the residence of Nagarkurnool MP Jagannatham and decided to carry forward their fight for Telangana.

According to Sukhender Reddy, the party would observe a ‘ Satyagraha” on July 20 at every mandal headquarters. Similarly, party workers would celebrate a flag hoisting festival on July 26 by hoisting the Congress flag carrying a Telangana map on every house, office, tree and at every traffic junction.

take By :simplytelangana.