Telangana Joint Action Committee leaders on Tuesday gave an ultimatum to Union minister Vayalar Ravi that any further delay in taking a decision on Telangana would have serious repercussions. In a related issue, BJP leader in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, said if the NDA returned to power the first step would be to carve out Telangana since the party backed smaller states. Speaking at state BJP chief G. Kishan Reddy’s three-day satyagraha camp at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Mr Jaitley said the Centre has stopped taking political decisions and was depending on guidance from the judiciary.
Later, BJP activists who tried to march into PM’s residence demanding Telangana were blocked by police. The activists fought a pitched battle with the police, who kept them at bay with water cannons and tear gas shells. Several activists were taken into custody.