Hdyerabad, December 07: Under increasing pressure to find an amicable solution to the ongoing Telangana agitation, Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Sunday offered an olive branch to the fasting Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao. First, he offered to withdraw all cases against Rao and introduce a resolution in the State Assembly seeking a Constitutional amendment that would not make Hyderabad a free zone for employment purposes.
Within hours after making the announcement, he called on the TRS chief at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and urged him to break his fast. However, the TRS chief, who has been on a fast-unto-death for the past eight days, refused to do so until a favourable decision was taken on the Telangana issue. On that point, however, Rosaiah reiterated that it was for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to take a call.
Understandably, the TRS leaders rebuffed his overtures. ‘‘Mere withdrawal of cases is no gesture. Let Sonia react to our demand, either positively or negatively. Then, we will chalk out our future course of action,’’ a TRS leader declared. He pointed out that while Congress leaders in Delhi left it to Rosaiah to deal with the situation, he was throwing the ball back into their court.
TRS Legislature Party leader Etela Rajender said his party wanted nothing short of a resolution in the Assembly and tabling of the Telangana Bill in Parliament.
Nonetheless, the visit of the Chief Minister in the company of Health Minister Danam Nagendar, MLA Marri Shashidar Reddy, Congress leader Mohd Ali Shabbir and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, a close friend of the TRS chief, raised some hopes of an early solution to the crisis, coming as it does, on the eve of the Winter Session of the Assembly and amid reports that the TRS chief could call off his hunger strike by Monday night.
TRS leaders admitted that they came with a proposal to Rao but what exactly transpired at their meeting wasn’t clear. The Chief Minister was in the hospital for more than 15 minutes even as mild tension gripped the premises with the TRS activists raising slogans against him.
During the day, fissures within the Congress came to the fore once again on the Telangana issue even as the two-day bandh called by the TRS evoked good response across the region including the State capital. The agitation showed no signs of slowing down with TRS activists and students continuing their rallies and dharnas and exerting pressure on senior Congress leaders from the region.
One of them, U Purushottam Reddy, alleged that it was selfish Congress leaders who had compromised on the demand during the previous agitation in the late 60s. Rosaiah should take the initiative for the passage of a resolution in the Assembly, Reddy demanded. Telangana protagonist and a veteran, KR Amos, faulted the government statement that anti-social elements infiltrated the T movement.
Another senior leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumanth Rao suspected the involvement of YSR loyalists in the protests.
–Agencies