Yaskhi Warns Seemandhra Leaders

Reacting strongly over the reported statement of Seemandhra leaders that "politically-unemployed" Telangana leaders were raising the controversial statehood issue for political benefits, Nizamabad MP Madhu Yaskhi, on Friday, wondered whether those who participated in the agitations over the division of state from Chennai in 1956 were also politically unemployed.

Talking to media persons at his residence, Yaskhi said the stir for Telangana statehood has been prevalent among people at the village level since decades. He added that the fast-unto-death undertaken by Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K Chandrasekhar Rao had ignited the issue again.

"It's a people's agitation. Hyderabad was well-developed even during the days of the Nizams. The development of Hyderabad was never dependent on the immigrants from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. But their names do figure in one 'development' aspect, and that is the development of corruption and scandals," he said.

Yaskhi added, "The names of Coastal leaders figure in almost every corruption and scandal."

The MP said that these leaders have become accustomed to drinking the waters of Gandipet, and hence were emboldened to question Telangana leaders. He said that Seemandhra leaders have no moral right to question Telangana leaders, as they were involved in so many corruption scandals.

Yaskhi said Seemandhra leaders ought to behave in a proper manner and must desist from making controversial statements.

Gandhian methods are outdated and ineffective.

What we all missed was that the bandh that was called last sunday affected the Telangana only. SA people or their Leaders didn’t suffer any.

Hereafter bandhs should be called only in the Capital region and not in the districts. Atleast this way, SA leadership and Their hegemonious Govt will be affected. Gandhian methods won’t work with AP Govt anymore.

Britishers were more civil and sensitive in 1940s, in India, compared to this AP Govt.  New methods must be invented/adopted to get the Govt to heed people’s democratic demands.

Can the forum members post ideas from  Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Soth America where peoples fight against the Govt suppression succeeded and use/adopt their methods?  How about South Africa? Blacks fought more powerful Govt of South Africa. How did Ayatolla of Iran over throw the monarchy of the Shah? Are there no injustices in other parts of the World? How are the people affected handling the situation?  Need a broader search over recent movements all over the World. And more refined ideas have to be presented.

To-day’s looter’s Govt has become immune to Bandhs, Dharnas, Hunger strikes, Bus burnings, Rail Rokos, Black Badges, Etc. A parent will feel if their loved one is punishing self. But current Govt isn’t paternalistic.

All fight must be waged in the state Capital.  Folks in the country cannot be asked to sacrifice any more. May be the Capital needs to be stopped to function. (Just Memphis city burned after Martin Luther King’s death). Infestation of Rats won’t cause them to leave the house with Music. Some times, burning the house may be the only answer.

Remember, I am not proposing these actions.  Just attempting to elicit more effective methods to achieve the Goal and stop the in justices.

Divorce has happened in our hearts

The current agitation over APPSC (Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission) exams has once again pitted Telanganas against Seemandhra dominated Government of Andhra Pradesh.  Telangana students, and many leaders, including those from ruling Congress Party wanted to delay these exams so that they consider the demand from Telanganas to include 42% reservation in these posts.  Telanganas allege discrimination towards them in final selection of the candidates. There are stories of a Telangana candidate getting 655 marks in the written exam but only 21 in the interview while a Seemandhra candidate getting 590 in the written exam gets 88 marks in interview.  The Seemandhra person gets in while Telangana person doesn’t.   Can a person with very high score in written exams get very low score in interviews?  Yes it can happen.  Can we deduce discrimination from such isolated incident?  Not really.  But when it happens consistently, which the Telanganas allege, there is a need to look into the matter.  Telangana people believe there is discrimination in APPSC exams and seek 42% quota to represent their population in the state citing Gentlemen’s Agreement.

The Chairman of APPSC, Mr. Venkatarami Reddy, a Seemandhra person, insisted on holding these exams on time without paying heed to the protests from whole of Telangana.  He was backed by Chief Minister Rosaiah, another Seemandhra loyalist.  He was supported by most of Seemandhra politicians.  Even the people of Seemandhra came out to stage dharnas to impress upon this Chairman to go ahead and hold these exams as scheduled overriding the wishes of Telangana people.   These exams were postponed twice already before but this time around the authorities insisted on holding them on the date much to the dismay of Telangana people, politicians, students and the leaders.

It became a challenge.  Telanganas wanted to hold off the exams while Seemandhras wanted to coerce Telangana into submission with armed forces to proceed with their agenda no matter what 42% of the population thinks, because they ride the majority of 58%.   One can easily imagine how the sixty years marriage has been.  One party dictated terms with impunity while the other party succumbed each and every time.

On Sunday, 5 September 2010, the showdown began between Telanganas and the Seemandhra led government of Andhra Pradesh.  The ruling party MPs of Telangana marched towards the examination centers and were instantly arrested.  The students went into battle with the police in Osmania University campus.  Some of these agitators and protestors barged into few examination halls and disrupted the exams. The agitations spread across whole of Telangana.  The police forces stood ground and arrested hundreds.  Only 35% of Telangana aspirants showed up, while in Hyderabad it was 45% turnout.  In Seemandhra, the examinations went peacefully with 65% turnout clearly indicating that these exams failed in Telangana.

It is clear to most Telanganas that this government does not represent them. This incident is another affirmation of arrogance of Seemandhras who wanted to prove a point that they can snub Telangana agitation with brute force of state police.   For many years now, Telanganas have been losing trust in the farcical marriage called Andhra Pradesh.  It would like to get a divorce but the state doesn’t allow it.  Because the Government of India, proving to the whole world that it is quite idiotic when it comes to dealing with certain aspects of constitutional democracy, dictates that these two parties should vote to decide the separation.  Unfortunately for Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh government is controlled by Seemandhra who have 6 votes while Telangana has only 4 votes.  Every time the government of Andhra Pradesh votes Telangana loses out.

Telangana cites ‘irreconcilable differences’ and ‘lack of trust’ to break this marriage.  But like the Indian man who doesn’t let his wife leave, forcing her, beating her, and threatening to kill her and her family if necessary, Seemandhra holds onto Telangana at gunpoint pressing them to the ground.

The divorce has happened in the minds of the people.  We are waiting for the legal separation.

Tension at OU campus, Telangana activists barge into exam hall

HYDERABAD: Tension prevailed at the Osmania University campus here on Sunday after scores of pro-Telangana activists barged into an examination centre where Group-I services preliminary tests were being conducted and allegedly snatched answer-sheets and question papers from candidates. 

The authorities have declared the exam conducted at the centre as cancelled. 

Defying the prohibitory orders imposed at the exam centres amid bandh call given by the Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee (OUJAC), students and pro-Telangana activists broke the barricades put up at the OU campus and scaled the compound wall of the Institute of Advance Studies -- one of the exam centres. 

Shouting slogans like 'Jai Telangana', the activists barged into the exam centre and allegedly snatched answer-sheets and question papers from candidates and burnt them even as police intervened and took them into custody. 

Angered over the arrests, students indulged in heavy stone pelting on police personnel inside the campus and near the Tarnaka road adjacent the OU campus. They also pelted stones at buses. 

Police later lathicharged them and also fired few tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob. 

East Zone DCP Mahesh Chandra Laddha told reporters that around 60 protesters were taken into preventive custody. He, however, clarified that neither answer sheets nor question papers were taken away from the candidates. 

"We had to use force to disperse violent protesters," the DCP added. 

The OUJAC and Telangana JAC had demanded the state government to postpone the Group-I exams demanding 42 per cent reservation of jobs for the people from the region.

Threat to ‘shut down’ Telangana

The Osmania University Students’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) has threatened to ‘shut down’ Telangana on Sunday if the preliminary test of Group-I was not postponed as per their demand. The JAC leaders who along with the Political JAC discussed the issue on Thursday set Saturday evening as the deadline for the Government to announce the postponement. “If not, we will call for a Telangana bandh,” the JAC leaders Kailash Netha and Kishore said.

They said they would meet the public representatives apart from the Chief Minister and the Governor to impress on them the need to postpone the exam which is slated to be held on Sunday. The APPSC had already rejected the demand for its postponement.

The bone of contention is the demand for earmarking 42 per cent of posts for Telangana candidates as per the Gentlemen’s Agreement. The JAC also rejected the argument that rule of reservation was not possible at the preliminary level. “Such system is followed by UPSC for its exams and also in the neighbouring States,” Mr. Netha said.

The JAC called for boycott of classes across Telangana on September 4 and appealed to students to boycott the exam. Mr. Kishore agreed that views of candidates who want to write the test were also discussed at the meeting. “We understand their anxiety but a majority are in favour of postponement since these are plum posts like Deputy Collector, DSPs and CTOs and candidates don’t want to lose an opportunity,” he said.

Telangana JAC convenor M. Kodandaram extended the JAC’s cooperation to the bandh claiming the demands raised by students were “constitutionally justified”.

Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee, Telangana bandh

The Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee on Thursday gave a call for Telangana ‘bandh’ on September 5 to press for its demand that the government issue clarification on providing quota in recruitments of successful APPSC Group-1 candidates from Telangana.

Talking to media persons, student leader, Mr P. Ravi stated that the OUSJAC was demanding that the government guarantee that 42 per cent candidates from Telangana region, who have cleared the Group-1 examinations conducted by the APPSC be recruited.

Ravi also revealed that the OUSJAC has decided that it would not rest till the government orders the immediate suspension of APPSC Chairman, Mr Venkata Rami Reddy, who has been facing allegations of irregularities. An inquiry is currently underway into the allegations.

The OU-JAC leader also revealed that a candlelit vigil would be conducted to pay tributes to the people who had fought against the Mulki rules on September 3.

Mr Ravi said that students across the region would boycott their classes and take their part in an agitation if state government takes the warning seriously and does not clarify its stand on issuing clarifications on the quota for APPSC G1 recruitments on September 4.

The OU-JAC leader also warned the government that if the APPSC goes ahead with conducting the APPSC G1 preliminary examinations under police protection, then the government should be ready to take responsibility for any untoward incident in the state.

The OU-JAC also appealed to candidates who are appearing for the G1 preliminary examinations to boycott the tests. The OU-JAC said that the students should tear the question papers in the examination halls.

The student leader also called on the main opposition Telugu Desam Party to realise the gravity of the situation and join students of Telangana region in their fight for justice.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Bharatiya Janata Party and New Democracy have announced their support to the OU-JAC band call.

no suicides