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 Telangana and Muslims:
As the Telangana
cauldron boils over moves are already afoot to paint the dispute in
communal colors and make the region's Muslims the proverbial
sacrificial lamb. The mainstream media.....
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New Delhi/Hyderabad:
No permission has been given to Congress MP from
Vijayawada L Rajagopal to observe his proposed hunger strike in
Hyderabad from Monday for a unified Andhra Pradesh, police said.
"So
far no permission has been given for his (Rajagopal) proposed hunger
strike. We are collecting information.
Necessary action will be taken at an appropriate time. The situation
is being very closely monitored," Inspector General of Police A R
Anuradha told reporters.
Rajagopal, who is against creation of Telangana, had said in Delhi
that he would launch a hunger strike from Hyderabad.
Some
Congress leaders in the state opposed to the proposed hunger strike
by Rajagopal.
With
protests by students and others in support of
united
Andhra Pradesh entering third day in coastal districts of Andhra and
Rayalaseema regions, the police official appealed the protesters not
to come to Hyderabad as part of their agitations, as the State
Assembly resumes from tomorrow here.
Anuradha, who is also the official spokesperson of Andhra Pradesh
Police, said, "Our request is that the protesters can approach the
respective public representatives and voice their concerns, who can
discuss the issues in their districts."
Earlier, in an apparent bid to scuttle the move to form Telangana,
Congress MP L Rajagopal on Sunday threatened to go on a hunger
strike if a resolution favouring the separate state was introduced
in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, which, he claimed, will be opposed
by 225 MLAs.
Rajagopal, the Vijayawada MP who has resigned his Lok Sabha seat,
said he would join the movement for a unified Andhra Pradesh and
against creation of Telangana.
"The
UPA Government has asked the state government to move a resolution
in the Assembly. The resolution should be moved. I will meet Chief
Minister (K Rosaiah) tomorrow in this regard. If the resolution is
not moved I have decided to go on a hunger strike," he told a press
conference here.
Rajagopal claimed that the resolution favouring bifurcation of
Andhra Pradesh would be defeated on the floor of the house by not
less than 225 MLAs voting against it.
"Resolution should be moved...I am saying now that more than 225
MLAs will oppose the resolution. Even MLAs from Telangana will
oppose the formation of a separate state. All Telugu-speaking people
should be united...only some divisive people want a separate state,"
he said.
"The
outcome of the resolution will make it clear to the country what the
real situation is. They will come to know that the Andhra people
don't want the state to be split," he said.
Rajagopal also claimed that the Ministers, who had yesterday decided
to quit, have decided to continue in office. Rajagopal evaded a
direct reply to questions whether he resigned as a sitting member of
Lok Sabha expressing opposition to the formation of a separate state
of Telangana, but said there will be "by-elections to Vijayawada."
"There will be by-elections to Vijayawada and I have told the high
command that it should field a candidate from Telangana so that the
broadmindedness of the Andhra people will be proved," he said.
Rajagopal also made it clear that he will not contest the seat in
the by-election. The Congress leader said he had submitted his
resignation in the "right and appropriate manner" and refused to
disclose the contents of his letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira
Kumar.
Rajagopal said all the Telugu-speaking areas of Andhra Pradesh,
including Telangana, were one and they were unified from the
erstwhile Madras and Hyderabad states on the basis of language.
"Telangana
means a place that belongs to those speaking Telugu. So all the 23
districts of Andhra are Telangana. We don't want to weaken the
Telugu-speaking state. All Telugus should remain one. Why should we
weaken ourselves and lose the bargaining power in a federal system?"
Rajagopal asked.
The
Congress leader said, "Telangana was part of Hyderabad and it is not
the other way around. No one can stake claim on it. The entire state
of Andhra Pradesh belongs to us all."
The
Congress leader said the decision to create Telangana was announced
not by the party but by the UPA Government. Rajagopal said Chief
Minister K Rosaiah need not resign on the issue.
To a
question whether properties and assets of his Lanco group of
companies in Hyderabad were the reason for his opposition to
creation of Telangana, Rajagopal said his firm has assets and
properties in 15 states and abroad.
"So
this logic does not apply here. In fact, if that was true, I should
be scared and not expressing my opinion openly," he said.
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