Telangana: Joint Action Committee launches grand sit-in in Hyderabad for separate statehood

HYDERABAD: Telangana political Joint Action Committee ( JAC) launched its 'strike by all sections of people' for the separate statehood, with staging of a 'maha dharna' (grand sit-in).

JAC Convener M Kodandaram, TRS floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly E Rajender, state BJP leaders Bandaru Dattatreya and Ch Vidyasagar Rao, and several leaders of government employees unions in Telangana participated in the agitation, at Indira Park.

It was preceded by a protest march from the Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram to Indira Park.

The strike envisaged government employees boycotting work (from September 5) and others taking up different forms of protests from today, JAC leaders said.

Kodandaram said this round of agitation would be much intense, so as to make Centre accept the Telangana statehood demand.

The BJP leaders slammed the Congress government for turning a blind eye to the wish of Telangana people, on this occasion. Devi Prasad, a leader of the Telangana employees, hit out at the state government over the revival of the Government Order 177 that facilitates `no work, no pay' policy in the event of strike by employees.

The Telangana leaders of various parties should submit their resignations again in the support of separate statehood demand, he said.