Telangana Co-ordination panel plans 1-day fast

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Co-ordination Committee has decided to go on a one-day fast to protest against the remarks of Union minister and incharge of AP affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad on Telangana.Extending support to the Congress Telangana leaders and Osmania University students, who have launched a hunger strike to bring pressure on the UPA government for separate state, A Gopala Kishan, chairman of the committee, told newsmen here on Thursday that they would also undertake one-day fast for the cause of Telangana.“We will announce the date, time and place of the fast soon,’’ he said.He said there are some elected representatives from Telangana including a few ministers who have not yet resigned to their posts. The committee appealed to them to tender their resignations forthwith and join the people’s movement for Telangana state.He said they met chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and requested him to allow them to go to Osmania University campus where more than 30 students were on fast-unto-death.He alleged that the police force deployed in and around the Osmania University campus is highly disproportionate to the strength of students who were on fast-unto-death.The intense deployment of police is creating a sense of fear among the students who were fighting for a cause in a democratic manner and also the general public who were being constantly subjected to questioning, Gopal Kishan said.He also appealed to Telangana youth and students not to resort to suicides, instead fight on Gandhian lines to achieve Telangana.He said the committee is planning to counsel students to drive away the suicidal tendencies among them.Senior journalist Potturi Venkateswara Rao, Telangana Coordination Committee general Secretary T Vivek and treasurer A Rajendra Babu were present at the press meet.