Hyderabad:
Andhra Pradesh is 54 today. But the birthday has seen more strife, less celebration, with pro-Telangana activists protesting against state formation day functions to highlight their demand for a separate state.
In the Telangana region, pro-separate-state activists pelted those who took part in the official formation day celebrations with stones and hoisted black flags. A black flag fluttered at the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) office in Hyderabad too.
The scene at the Osmania University campus was starkly reminiscent of last December, with pro-Telangana activists protesting against celebrations. "The reason we are taking out this protest rally is that no celebrations, any celebrations will be done until we get our separate statehood," a protester said.
For Chief Minister K Rosaiah, it would have been a matter of some relief that his ministers from the Telangana region participated in official functions despite a call by pro-Telangana parties for a boycott. "In a federal set up like ours, the ultimate decision has to be taken by the Centre, not by us in the streets. I am happy some friends who earlier were against the celebrations on November 1, said not to disturb it," Rosaiah said.
But protesters targeted the leaders who ignored the boycott call, throwing stones at the homes of senior minister Geetha Reddy and Congress MLA Shashidhar Reddy.
With just two months to go before the Srikrishna committee submits its report on Telangana, today's protests were like a challenge thrown at the law-enforcement machinery.
In the Telangana region, pro-separate-state activists pelted those who took part in the official formation day celebrations with stones and hoisted black flags. A black flag fluttered at the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) office in Hyderabad too.
The scene at the Osmania University campus was starkly reminiscent of last December, with pro-Telangana activists protesting against celebrations. "The reason we are taking out this protest rally is that no celebrations, any celebrations will be done until we get our separate statehood," a protester said.
For Chief Minister K Rosaiah, it would have been a matter of some relief that his ministers from the Telangana region participated in official functions despite a call by pro-Telangana parties for a boycott. "In a federal set up like ours, the ultimate decision has to be taken by the Centre, not by us in the streets. I am happy some friends who earlier were against the celebrations on November 1, said not to disturb it," Rosaiah said.
But protesters targeted the leaders who ignored the boycott call, throwing stones at the homes of senior minister Geetha Reddy and Congress MLA Shashidhar Reddy.
With just two months to go before the Srikrishna committee submits its report on Telangana, today's protests were like a challenge thrown at the law-enforcement machinery.
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