Telangana: Egypt-like protests in Hyderabad?

Hyderabad: The movement for separate statehood to Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh is set to further intensify with an apex body of activists planning an Egypt-like protest in Hyderabad next month.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) plans to mobilise five million people to lay siege to the city in the second week of March in what is seen as a final phase of the movement for separate state.

The JAC, which comprises Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other political and mass organisations, hopes that people from all 10 Telangana districts, including Hyderabad, would participate in the protest.

The activists want that the central government should immediately initiate the process for the formation of Telangana state.

According to JAC convenor M Kodandaram, the protestors would block roads and not leave until the central government agrees to form a separate state.

This is expected to be the biggest ever gathering for Telangana. The JAC is confident of a massive turnout as the movement has intensified across the region during the last one month.

Buoyed by the huge public response to the two-day Telangana shutdown Tuesday-Wednesday and the impact it had even in Hyderabad, the JAC plans to go all-out for achieving its goal.

On Friday it began holding rallies to express solidarity with about 300,000 government employees who are continuing their non-cooperation movement since February 17. The rallies will continue on Saturday.

Rejecting the government's appeal to call off the movement, the Telangana employees have also threatened to go on an indefinite strike after March 5 if the central government failed to make a clear announcement on Telangana.

The JAC leaders claim that the administration has already come to a standstill with the non-cooperation movement. The lawyers are also boycotting the courts while university students are participating in the protests for separate state.

The JAC also plans 24-hour 'rail roko' and more protests to mount pressure on ruling Congress party legislators to join the movement.