Intensifying their agitation, several Congress MPs and MLAs, who quit their posts recently, today began a 48-hour hunger strike to highlight their demand for a separate Telangana state.
The fast began at the Indira Park in the city, with seven MPs, three ministers, 14 MLAs and two MLCs taking part in it.
Though, there has been no concrete response from the Centre, following their en masse resignations, the hunger strike is aimed at highlighting their demand, Telangana Congress leaders said.
Asked about the comments by Union Minister and in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, that wider consensus and a resolution in the assembly is necessary for the formation of a separate state, Congress MP from Karimnagar Ponnam Prabhakar said that a consensus would never be possible, as legislators from non-Telangana region are more in numbers.
"If he (Azad) has made such comments, it is regrettable. Leadeship needs to think about such comments. Consensus would not be possible, because they are more in numbers. In fact, all parties had agreed on the formation of Telangana earlier. We will use these comments to only strengthen our resolve and to achieve our goal," he said.
Azad had said in Beijing yesterday that a decision on the formation of Telangana state cannot move ahead an 'inch' without the State Assembly passing a unanimous resolution.
"If we have to do this we have to pass a unanimous resolution. Unless it is passed, we cannot move one inch," Azad had said.
Trouble on the tracks
Movement of trains in the Telangana region is also likely to be affected on Thursday in view of the rail blockade called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC).
South Central Railway (SCR) authorities have advised passengers to note that the trains scheduled to run in the Secunderabad-Kazipet, Wadi-Secunderabad, Vikarabad-Parli, Nadikude-Bibinagar, Mudkhed-Secunderabad, Vijayawada-Kazipet-Ballarshah and Dhone-Secunderabad sections are likely to be delayed, cancelled or diverted.
A statement from SCR on Wednesday said a detailed pattern of services will be announced shortly.
The rail blockade was earlier scheduled on July 8-9 but the JAC postponed it to involve the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party in the protest.
With the two main parties deciding not to join hands with the JAC for joint agitation, the committee announced that it would go ahead with the rail blockade. However, the agitation was truncated to one day - July 14.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some other political and non-political groups fighting for a separate state are part of the JAC.