Hyderabad, December 17: Even as protests against bifurcation of the State continued, Telangana leaders on Wednesday vowed to continue their struggle until a separate State was carved out, in a move apparently aimed at preventing their voice from being drowned in the din created by integrationists.
While the Telangana leaders, including G Venakta Swamy, Manik Rao and Jana Reddy and ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, were voicing their demand for a separate State, Andhra and Rayalseema MLAs met at former minister JC Diwakar Reddy’s residence and decided to make a representation to Delhi to ensure that the State remained united.
The delegation would be led by Congress MLA from Kurnool TG Venkatesh.
After the meeting, Diwakar Reddy advised students, who have been protesting against the proposed division of the State, to call off their stir.
‘‘Even before we sought their support, they took a plunge for which we are thankful. But it will be better if they leave it to us. If we need their help, we will surely go to them,’’ Diwakar Reddy said.
The Telangana leaders held a thanksgiving conference where they denounced the ongoing agitation for a united AP and urged the party leadership to be wary of the ‘‘designs’’ of the integrationists. ‘‘Their resignations are politically motivated and orchestrated.
They constitute defiance of the party directive,’’ they alleged. They wanted the UPA to speed up the process for creation of a separate State.
Telugu Desam’s coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders, meanwhile, are getting ready for their bus yatra on Friday from Tirupati even as their Telangana counterparts insisted that the party was committed to Telangana.
Party leader from Telangana Nagam Janardhan Reddy claimed: “The party has not deviated from its stand.”
–Agencies–