Hyderabad,January 27 :THE “ TELANGANA flag” fluttered along with the Tricolour in several parts of the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, evoking strong reactions from the people against the formation of the state.
The white- coloured flag with the Telangana map was unfurled following a call by the all- party Telangana Joint Action Committee ( JAC).
“ We had asked statehood activists to hoist these flags at all junctions and private buildings along with the national flag on Republic Day as a symbolic expression of the demand for separate statehood,” JAC convener professor M. Kodandaram said.
At Osmania University, the hub of the students’ agitation for Telangana, students unfurled the Telangana flag on the campus, after the university hoisted the national flag atop the historic Arts College building. After singing the National Anthem, the students sang “ Jaya Jaya Jaya Telangana, Jayahe Jaya Ketanam ”, which the statehood supporters have declared as the official song of the prospective Telangana state.
Students hoisted the Telangana flag along with the Tricolour at Kakatiya University in Warangal, Telangana University in Nizamabad, Satavahana University in Karimnagar and Palamur University in Mahbubnagar. There were also reports of some Telangana activists ignoring the National Flag while unfurling only the Telangana flag.
At the Telangana Bhavan, state headquarters of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi ( TRS), president K. Chandrasekhara Rao unfurled both the Telangana flag as well as the Tricolour.
Congress MP from Vijayawada Lagadapati Rajagopal has protested the unfurling of the Telangana flag along with the Tricolour on Republic Day.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rajagopal said it was a serious offence to hoist other flags on the Republic and Independence Days, according the flag code mentioned in the Constitution.
“ It amounts to insulting the National Flag. The government should take action against such individuals and parties,” he said.
Following a direction from the Congress’s central leadership, Andhra Pradesh lawmakers from Telangana belonging to the ruling party cancelled their visit to New Delhi to lobby for statehood.
Senior leaders K. Jana Reddy and R Damodar Reddy, who had been to New Delhi on Monday, came back on Tuesday, stating that the Centre had promised to make a positive statement on Telangana soon.
The Telangana Congress leaders later held a meeting and decided to wait for some more time, following the assurance from the high command.
“ We have confidence in the high command.