Hyderabad: Hundreds of people in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh forced trains to come to a stop on railway tracks this morning as part of a massive protest that's aimed at pressuring the government to grant a separate state of Telangana.
Click to Expand & PlayThe protestors included workers from different political parties- the TRS, TDP and BJP - along with villagers.
Trains were affected in Nalgonda, Warangal, Mahabubnagar and Hyderabad. Most trains entering the South pass through Telangana. Twenty-three long-distance trains as well as local trains in Hyderabad have been cancelled.
Those organizing the bandh, led by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), have labelled the bandh 'Palle Palle Pattala Paiki' (villages on railway tracks). The committee has asked workers of all parties and villagers who live near the railway tracks to sit on the tracks from 6 AM to 6 PM.
Telugu Desam leaders were taken into custody after they demonstrated at the Secunderabad Railway Station, the headquarters of South Central Railway.
"Our intention is not to inconvenience the people. This is to send a message across to the Centre that it should form separate Telangana," senior TDP MLA P Venugopalachary told reporters at the Secunderabad Railway Station.
The demonstrations today are also underscored by political upmanship. The TRS, for example, which is headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao (popularly referred to as KCR), claims that the TDP is not sincere in its push for a Telangana state.
KCR's daughter, K Kavitha, blocked trains at Bibinagar in Nalgonda district.
No comments:
Post a Comment