TRS wants Telangana bill irrespective of Srikrishna report

Hyderabad, Dec 30 (IANS) With the Srikrishna committee submitting its report on Telangana Thursday, parties fighting for the separate state have urged the central government to abide by its Dec 9, 2009 statement, irrespective of the panel's recommendations.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is spear-heading the Telangana agitation, said the central government should table a bill in parliament to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.

'Irrespective of what Srikrishna committee report says, the central government should table a bill in the coming session of parliament,' TRS leader and state legislator K. Tarakarama Rao told reporters at Telangana Bhavan, the TRS headquarters here.

Reacting to Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement that the report would be made public Jan 6 after a meeting with leaders of eight recognised political parties, Rao - son of TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao - said whatever may be the contents of the report, the central government should abide by its commitment on Telangana.

He recalled that Chidambaram had made a statement on Dec 9 last year that the process for formation of separate Telangana state would be initiated.

Tarakarama Rao said people of the region were waiting for a separate state and claimed that some people in Karimnagar district had already started hunger strikes demanding the government to take immediate steps.

The Telangana Praja Front of Maoist sympathiser and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar said the central government should fulfil its commitment by tabling a bill in parliament.

With Chidambaram inviting eight parties for the meeting on Jan 6, Andhra Pradesh's ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) began deliberations to choose its representatives.

Since the two parties are vertically divided over the issue, they are likely send representatives from both Telangana and the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Pro-Telangana parties have already threatened to launch an agitation and paralyse the administration if the Srikrishna committee makes a recommendation against formation of Telangana state.