'No going back till T dream is achieved'

HYDERABAD: Coming in the midst of the general strike resorted to by state government employees in support of their separate state demand, the Telangana Liberation Day on Saturday saw a renewed pledge by the political leaders and the people of the region not to rest until their dream is achieved.
In a direct attack on chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and Congress leader Chiranjeevi, infrastructure minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, himself a minister in the Kiran cabinet, warned that these three leaders would not be allowed to enter the Telangana region unless they support the division of the state.
The most vocal of the 15 Telangana ministers on the issue of the separate state, Komatireddy has not been attending to his work since the mass resignations on July 4 and on Saturday, became the first cabinet member to participate in the general strike organized by T-employees and the people in Nalgonda town.
Komatireddy was accomapanied by MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy and two MLAs Balu Naik and T Lingaiah. All the four leaders warned the CM, Botsa and Chiranjeevi that they would not be allowed to move around in the Telangana region if they go against the wishes of the T-people. They announced that they would submit their resignations after September 30 without waiting for anybody's call. Though MP Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy was not present at the meeting, he later extended his support to the four leaders.
In Nizamabad, former PCC president D Srinivas became a sudden vocal support of the separate state demand while taking part in the Liberation Day events on Saturday. Addressing a gathering here, he said all sections of the people from the region should exert pressure on the Centre and the state to ensure that Telangana is achieved. However, he was against the resignations of the elected representatives, saying that only if they continue in their posts, the possibility of the separate state increases.
There was a mild tension in Nizamabad, Warangal and Mahbubnagar towns when T activists tried to storm into the police parade grounds to hoist the Tricolour along with Telangana flag as part of the Liberation Day celebrations. However, the police prevented them by detaining the activists in large numbers. They were released later.
Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was conspicuous by his absence in the Telangana Liberation Day function organized at Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters. PCC president Botsa hoisted the national flag. "It is customary for the chief minister to attend the celebrations as it symbolizes the national unity of the country. Last year, former CM K Rosaiah attended the function and praised the heroic fight of the T people against Nizam," a senior T-Congress leader commented.