Hyderabad:
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)-led groups have cancelled the
rail roko planned for today and instead opted for a full-fledged bandh in the Telangana districts.
As part of the bandh, state transport buses that started running on Sunday after staying off the road for nearly a month will be back inside the depot. The Chief Minister has instructed private schools to reopen but with buses and autos off the road, it is unlikely that children will be able to attend school.
Meanwhile, rail services remained paralysed on the second day of the rail roko on Sunday. Stringent police action has angered the protesting groups who have called for the bandh today. The state government has, however, toughened its stand, even threatening schools with derecognition unless they open on Monday.
Two Congress MPs - Ponnam Prabhakar from Karimnagar and Rajaiah in Waragal - joined in on Saturday to show his loyalty to the Telangana cause. Both were sent to jail. Telangana Congress MPs blamed the chief minister.
"The arrest is absolutely meaningless and vindictive. I have registered my protest with the CM. We wanted to drive the attention of the Central government. The Central government is doing its job; it is only that people are losing. We want the Centre to take a decision," said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Keshav Rao.
Day 2 today saw fewer protests at the railway stations after stringent police action and booking of cases on Day 1. But train services remained largely paralysed as the railway authorities had already cancelled or diverted most of the trains.
"We are all keeping our fingers crossed. We are hoping that things become better fast and don't affect the life of a common man. So we are hoping that everything will fall into place," said Tirumal Reddy, a resident of Hyderabad.
The government has imposed Section 144 in Hyderabad till October 26 (Diwali). They have also instructed that private schools must reopen on Monday or face derecognition. But with the TRS-led groups calling for a bandh on Monday, the stage looks set for a confrontation.