Srikrishna: No one dare pressurise me

Justice Srikrishna has denied that there has been any political pressure on the Srikrishna Committee over the Telangana issue. “There is no political pressure on the committee. Nobody dares to pressurise me. Even my parents,” said Justice Srikrishna while interacting with media persons at the Lakeview Guest House.

Making a clear statement about the independent functioning of the Committee, he said, “I know how to separate grain from chaff. I am an experienced judge you know.”After his meeting with several non-governmental organisations and intellectuals, Justice Srikrishna told reporters that there was no truth in reports that the Governor had sent a report to the Prime Minister requesting him to use his office to curtail the Committee’s tour programme in the state.

“We have not been informed about anything like that. We are free to decide on our tour programme and in fact, we are going to the districts in the month of July,” he said ruling out any restrictions from the government in the name of law and order and security problems.

The committee will receive reports from the Telugu Desam, MIM and Muslim League from May 10 to 12. Three groups from the TD requested time and the committee has granted the same. One or two delegations from the Congress will meet the committee on May 17 or 18 and over the next two weeks, the committee will meet political, cultural, business and non-governmental organisations and hear their views on the bifurcation.

Films based on T-stir set to hit theatres across AP

At least three commercial films based on the Telangana agitation are set to hit theatres soon.
While actor, producer, writer and director Narayana Murthy’s film on Telangana is reportedly ready, another filmmaker, Shanker, is also making a commercial film on the T-issue.
A third film on the subject is also on the cards.
The filmmakers are reportedly expecting good responses not only in the Telangana but also in Seema-Andhra regions.
Though films based on Telangana issues including the feudal system, bonded labour and other social issues have been made in the past, the new genre of films will definitely create a ripple in the wake of the ongoing agitations for the separate state. It will also be interesting to see whether the films will be allowed to be screened in Seema-Andhra areas given the protests in Telangana region against films like Adurs, Saleem, Arya II and Varudu as these films faced the ire of T-agitators and failed to click.
“It will be a big budget commercial film based on contemporary Telangana issues, ongoing agitations for a separate state, students’ agitations and other related matters,” Shanker, the filmmaker from Telangana told this newspaper.
Shanker has directed Jayamanade Ra with Venkatesh, Srimulayya with Mohan Babu, Bhadrachallam with Srihari and others. “We are yet to finalise the film’s title. It will have a mass appeal. We have plans to release the film with an all-new cast on Vijayadasami,” he added.
Narayana Murthy has made several films with a communist slant and issues pertaining to Telangana. Among them are Cheemaladandu, YerraSainyam, Veguchukkalu, Chikati Suryulu and Oru Manadi Raa.

Two girls end life over T

Two girls, who had attempted suicide recently and were undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital here, succumbed to their burns on Thursday morning.
They are Mohd Savera, 20, of Papiyapeta village in Chennaraopeta mandal, and Soujanya, 14, of Cheriyal mandal.
According to sources, both the girls attempted suicide in two separate incidents. While Savera, a degree drop-out student, tried to take her life by dousing with kerosene on February 20, Soujanya, a a Class IX student, attempted suicide on March 1.
In their dying declarations at MGM Hospital, sources said, both the girls reportedly told the executive magistrate that they had attempted suicide for the Telangana cause.
Meanwhile, as news of the death of Savera spread, a large number of students staged a rasta roko for hours in Chennaraopeta. TRS leaders consoled her family members.

Telangana lawyers stage protest at Hyderabad airport

A group of pro-Telangana lawyers today held a protest at the airport here just before the arrival of the members of Sri Krishna Committee appointed by the Centre to look into the statehood issue.

The advocates, raising slogans like ‘Srikrishna Committee go back’ and ‘Jai Telangana’, barged into the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport premises and tried to stage a sit-in, but were taken into custody by the police.

The lawyers last month held a massive protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and some of them breached police restrictions and reached the Parliament.

Dubbing the appointment of the panel as “delaying tactic” by the Centre, the lawyers demanded that a bill be tabled in the Parliament immediately for the formation of Telangana.

They had held protests at the headquarters of Telugu Desam here and also ‘gheraoed’ senior Congress MLA K. Jana Reddy for not quitting his post to mount pressure on the Centre.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), formed to spearhead the statehood stir, called for “peaceful protests” against the visit of the committee today and tomorrow.

“This visit is purely an introductory one. The entire committee will travel to Hyderabad and discuss with the state government officials about the facilities we need and other things,” the panel’s Member-Secretary Vinod K. Duggal has said.

Srikrishna panel to visit Andhra Pradesh on Thursday

Amid calls by various groups in Telangana to boycott the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee on the contentious statehood issue, the panel will visit Andhra Pradesh on Thursday to discuss with state government officials about infrastructure and other requirements.

The five-member committee, which will be in Hyderabad for two days, is likely to meet Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan besides holding discussions with officials about its requirements.

“This visit is purely an introductory one. The entire committee will travel to Hyderabad and discuss with the state government officials about the facilities we need and other things,” the panel’s Member-Secretary Vinod K Duggal told PTI.

“The committee also hopes to meet leaders of various political parties informally,” Mr. Duggal, a former Union Home Secretary, said.

He said the committee may also make a courtesy call on the Governor and as this is the first time the panel is meeting in Hyderabad.

The panel is also not averse to visiting other parts of the states, if needed, during future visits.

The committee will discuss with the government officials requirements in infrastructure and secretarial staff like interpreters, stenographers, recorders, conference rooms and other facilities.

This is the third meeting of the Committee since it was constituted on February 12 by the Centre. The previous meetings were held in New Delhi.

The visit assumes significance in the wake of several pro-Telangana outfits threatening to boycott the committee, saying “it will be a waste of time”.

The panel has been mandated to examine the situation in Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of united Andhra Pradesh.

The committee is likely to start the consultation process formally with the stakeholders from the second week of this month and hopes to submit the report well before its December 31, 2010 deadline.

Other members of the committee are Ranbir Singh, vice chancellor of the National Law University (Delhi), Abu Saleh Shariff, senior research fellow in International Food Policy Research Institute (Delhi), and Rabinder Kaur, professor at the department of humanities and social sciences at Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi.

Massive traffic jams in Hyderabad

The State capital witnessed an unprecedented traffic grid lock in major parts of the city, especially those on the southern and western parts after the police imposed traffic restrictions on a massive scale to prevent the pro-Telangana students from carrying out their threat of laying siege to the State Assembly on Saturday.

Osmania University campus, the nerve centre of agitation for bifurcation of state remained peaceful, as massive contingents of police kept a close watch on a gathering of about 500 students. By 10.30 p.m. the assemblage of students were moving towards the NCC gate of the University, apparently in a bid to take out a rally to the Assembly.

However, police are determined to take them into custody, if the students try to cross the university gate.

Meanwhile, the Government has assured a delegation of the journalists that cases registered against media personnel in Osmania University police station would be withdrawn. Following this assurance from the Chief Minister, K. Rosaiah, journalists called off their boycott of the Budget session. The State budget will be presented at 12.45 p.m. today.

The never-seen-before traffic diversions, though publicised widely led to chaotic traffic conditions, as fuming motorists argued with policemen. A massive traffic jam was reported from Bazarghat, Vijayanagar colony, Nampally, Mehdipatnam localities situated on Western parts of the city. It is bumper to bumper traffic moving sluggishly in Southern parts of the city.

Though the police had cautioned people not to venture out on Saturday in view of expected traffic jams, many could not understand why roads leading to hospitals were blocked. The road leading to Gandhi Hospital, one of the biggest Government hospices in the State was blocked from Chilkalguda cross cross roads leading to wide spread resentment.

Doctors working in the hospital and patients intending to go to Gandhi Hospital were put to inconvenience and the policemen manning the barricades chose not to listen to the pleas of people going to hospitals. At Chapel Road angry motorists began abusing policemen for not allowing an ambulance carrying a patient to move into barricaded area. As people began gathering, a policeman quickly pulled out the barricade to allow the ambulance to move through.

Reports of siren-wailing Ambulances being caught in traffic jams were received from several areas. At Goshamahal cross roads, a woman doctor working in Osmania General Hospital was seen pleading and arguing with policemen to allow her to reach hospital. The policemen told her sternly that she would not be allowed because of orders from ‘higher ups’. The flustered woman doctor, who refused to be identified, almost broke into tears.

New resignations will lead to bypolls

The manner in which the resignations of over 100 MLAs was rejected by the Speaker, Mr N. Kirankumar Reddy and the seriousness with which the Congress high command is looking at the issue, it has now become clear in party circles that any new resignation will lead to bypolls in the respective constituencies.

The ruling party members got a message from the high command that under no circumstance will it accept losing a government and impose President’s rule. This stern warning by the high command to the warring Congress MLAs especially from Telangana region means that there will be no new resignations by its members and the strength of the party will be safeguarded at any cost.

The Congress MLAs who were approached by the Telugu Desam and JAC leaders on Sunday to consider submitting new resignations in the backdrop of summary rejection on Saturday were clearly told that they won’t create a crisis, and that there was no question of submitting new resignations.

They told the TD leaders: “If you want to resign again, you can do so; but be prepared to face bypolls.”

Sources close to the Speaker said in case the TRS or the BJP MLAs want to quit again, he will have no option but to accept their resignations and conduct bypolls.

A majority of the MLAs do not want to face bypolls as it involves huge expenses.

The Congress high command was serious as its party MLAs did not withdraw resignations.

The political secretary to the Congress president, Mr Ahmed Patel, and the AP Congress affairs in-charge, Mr M. Veerappa Moily, talked to Mr K. Jana Reddy and Mr Damodar Reddy to convey their displeasure.

Telangana JAC to go ahead with protests till February 7

Notwithstanding its decision to wait until February 7 to press for the resignation by MLAs from the Telangana region, the all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Friday finalised an agitational programme up to that date.The working and steering committees of JAC which met here decided to go ahead with the agitation demanding that the Centre announce formation of Telangana State within a time frame.

The agitation will culminate with the ‘Chalo Kakatiya University’ programme at Warangal where a major meeting of students is scheduled on February 7.