YDERABAD: Aftera gap of seven years, the ruling TRS is now participating in a bandh. The pink party leaders are all set to stage dharnas on National Highways across the State as part of Bharat Bandh on Tuesday in expression of solidarity with farmers who are agitating in Delhi demanding repeal of farm laws brought forth by the Centre. The TRS, which was founded for separate Telangana State, used to participate in bandhs and organise rasta rokos during the turbulent days of Telangana movement.
The last time the TRS gave a bandh call was when the Centre merged seven mandals of Khammam district with Andhra Pradesh immediately after the bifurcation of the State. Several senior TRS leaders, including TRS working president KT Rama Rao, will take to streets on Tuesday as the TRS extended its support to the bandh call given by farmers’ organisations. Rama Rao will participate in Bharat Bandh at Burgul Gate in Farooq Nagar mandal near Shadnagar on Benguluru Highway at 10 am. Ministers and MLAs will participate in the bandh at their respective
Assembly segments. Health Minister Eatala Rajender said that he would participate in the bandh in Huzurabad. He called upon the people to participate in the bandh and make it a success. MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha will stage a dharna at Yellareddy constituency on Nizamabad- Mumbai Highway at 8 am on Tuesday. Ministers E Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod and others and several TRS MLAs will participate in road blockades at several places in the combined Warangal district.
Vemula Prasanth Reddy will participate in bandh in Nizamabad district. Though, the TRS opposed several Bills introduced in the Parliament including New Farm Act, the pink party has come out with an unambiguous stand against Narendra Modi government after TRS lost to BJP in Dubbaka Assembly bypoll. After losing 44 divisions in the recently held GHMC polls to BJP, the pink party decided to take the war into the enemy’s camp.
Cut to the quick by TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao giving a call for supporting the bandh, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy ridiculed the agitation as ‘sarakari’ bandh. Speaking to the media in Delhi, he said it was unfortunate that the government itself has decided to paralyse life by ensuring shutting of businesses, stopping all kinds of transport and agitations on national highways. He called upon the people of Telangnaa to foil the bandh call given by KCR.
Will Ministers be arrested, asks Cong
The Congress, going a step forward, taunted the Director General of Police whether he would order the arrest of its ministers and MLAs as they would be taking part in agitations just as they used to do when the Congress leaders took up any agitation. AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju, in a Tweet asked: “Curious to know if the Telangana police will tomorrow restrict TRS Ministers, MLAs, MPs and leaders through house arrests which is the usual undemocratic practice they adopt whenever oppos i t i o n o r g a n i s e d a n y agitation.”
Meanwhile, Osmania University said that all examinations scheduled for Tuesd ay u n d e r i t s jurisdiction have been postponed to December 9. The OU also postponed the Common Post Graduate Entrance Tests scheduled to be held on Tuesday and said that the new schedule will be released soon. The JNTU Hyderabad announced that the semester examinations that were to be held on Tuesday have been postponed and they will be conducted on Thursday.
The State Board of Technical Education and Training also postponed the diploma supplementary exam scheduled for Tuesday to December 23. The OU announced that the UG backlog exams will be conducted from December 19 and the exam time table is available on its website. Meanwhile, Cyberabad Traffic Police advised motorists to use ORR to reach Airport during the bandh.
Ministers and MLAs to hit the streets
With Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao giving a call for supporting the bandh, several senior TRS leaders and ministers, including TRS working president KT Rama Rao, are set to take to the streets on Tuesday
