A couple of thousand activists headed by Prof. Kodandaram, who sat down for an Egypt-style protest, were driven back by pouring rain close to midnight on Sunday, after the heady success of the ‘Sagara Haaram’ Telangana march earlier in the day. While withdrawing, Prof. Kodandaram said there would be a ‘rasta roko’ in the region on Monday, and a deeksha at Indira Park on Tuesday. Earlier, braving police blockades, lathicharge, teargas and water cannons, thousands of activists from various parts of Telangana took part in a massive march to Necklace Road that culminated in a public meeting to demand statehood for Telangana.
Speakers at the meeting demanded that ministers, Congress MPs and MLAs should tender their resignation and join the movement. Leaders like Congress MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and independent MLA Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy exhorted the supporters to squat on Necklace Road overnight . “None should leave the venue even after 7 pm. We will not go empty-handed. We will leave only after an announcement on Telangana,” declared Prof. Kodandaram. He added that lobbying in New Delhi would achieve nothing and that they must intensify the agitation and prepare a road map for achieving statehood. “We have to express our anger over the death of 1,000 youth for Telangana and the highhanded behaviour of Seemaandhra leaders. But we have to do it at an opportune time,” he said.