Separate Telangana activists today rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal for calling off the 22-day strike and threatened to intensify it if the Centre does not announce the formation of the state with a 'clear-cut timeframe'.
After a 30-minute meeting with Singh, TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Joint Action Committee convener Prof. Kodandaram said they were not satisifed with the Prime Minister's response when he sought 'some more time' to decide on the issue.
Stepping in to defuse the Telangana crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier today said he understands the separate statehood demand and gave an assurance that the Centre will make all efforts to find a solution to the contentious issue soon.
Singh also told the delegation that he would talk to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard and put all their demands before the party's Core Committee.
As the general strike in Telangana entered its 22nd day, the leaders, including senior Minister J. Geetha Reddy and K. Jana Reddy, briefed Singh about the situation in the region and the 'urgent need' for Centre's intervention as people were not in a 'mood even to celebrate upcoming festivals'.