Telangana Congress leaders arrested near Osmania University

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Hyderabad police on Monday arrested several Congress leaders from Telangana region when they were heading towards Osmania University to express solidarity with students who had launched an indefinite fast demanding a separate Telangana state.

Police stopped about a dozen leaders at Ramnagar near the university, citing orders banning entry of outsiders into the university and prohibiting assembly of five or more people.

Agitated over the police attitude, the leaders including MPs and state legislators sat on the road. As this led to a traffic jam, the police arrested the leaders.

Those arrested include MPs K. Keshava Rao, Madhu Goud Yaskhi, G. Vivek, G. Sukhender Reddy and Manda Jagannatham.

Earlier, at a meeting, the Congress MPs and state legislators, who recently submitted their resignations in support of the demand for separate state, decided to undertake a 48-hour fast on July 13 and 14.

Keshava Rao told reporters that the 48-hour fast will be followed by a hunger strike at all mandal headquarters across the region.

As many as 100 MLAs and 15 MPs belonging to Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and other parties resigned last week to mount pressure on the centre to carve out a separate Telangana state.

Keshava Rao said the absence of some Congress leaders at the meeting did not indicate dilution in their commitment to the cause.

State minister Jana Reddy denied reports in a section of the media that they were planning to quit Congress and float a new party. "We will continue to be in the party and fight for Telangana state," he said.