Hyderabad:
Hyderabad continues to be tense over the Telangana movement.
50 activists in favour of a new Telangana state stormed into the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium to disrupt a T-20 match between the Hyderabad and Andhra Ranji teams. The protestors say they were objecting to the presence of the Andhra team in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad Ranji team is drawn from the Telangana region, including Hyderabad; the Andhra team consists of players from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. The teams were playing in the first Deccan T20 Cup.
Kanish Naidu, who plays for Hyderabad, was disappointed that his sport has not been spared by politics. ``Andhra and Hyderabad is a very crucial match for us. It will be a very exciting match because both the teams are equally good.''
Since November, Andhra Pradesh has been split wide open over whether a new state of Telangana should be created. Initially, all political parties in Andhra Pradesh said they were in favour of this state. After the parties formally pledged their support at a meeting with the Chief Minister, the government sanctioned a new state. Within hours, more than a 100 MLAs from the non-Telangana regions of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema resigned in protest from the Andhra Assembly. As the state plunged into a political crisis, the Centre puts its decision on hold, and said political parties must arrive at a consensus before any progress is made for the creation of a new state.
This week, Osmania University, which has been the epi-centre of the pro-Telangana movement, has been on edge once again. A student committed suicide as an alleged protest against the delay in the formation of the Telangana state. Angry students refused to let the police escort the dead body off campus. Students want politicians from Telangana to resign till they win some firm commitment on when the new state will be formed.