Pratap Kishore, the founder of the Telangana Praja Samiti, and the first person to speak for a separate state was born on October 9, 1933 in Hyderabad, Telangana, to Chandravati and Hind Kishore, an aristocrat of Hyderabad.

Pratap Kishore studied in Grammar School up to class 8, after which he shifted to Madras-e-Alia, now Alia College. He completed his matriculation from Alia and joined the Nizam College from where he studied for both his intermediate and Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduation Pratap Kishore entered the portals of Osmania University to study for a Diploma in Journalism. On completing Journalism course, Pratap Kishore joined the Indian Express as an intern. Later in the early 60’s he joined the Deccan Chronicle as a reporter. And went to become the Special Correspondent for the paper in New Delhi. As a reporter Pratap travelled across the state and was moved by the plight of the Telangana people and the slow domination of the Andhra’s which was beginning to show.

Pratap Kishore’s fight for a separate Telangana State started in 1956, when the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed by merging the Hyderabad state and the Andhra state against the recommendations of the Fazal Ali Commission popularly known as the SRC commission, and the will of the Telangana people. He had the foresight to see the systematic degeneration the region will be forced into if it was merged with the state of Andhra.

In 1969, Pratap Kishore along with Keshava Rao and other Telangana leaders formed the TPS, “Telangana Praja Samiti”. The TPS spear headed the agitation for a separate Telangana in 1969, in which over 360 students were shot dead. The founders of the TPS like Pratap Kishore were all employed in private service and hence could not take up the party positions. And the leadership was passed on to Chenna Reddy and Madan Mohan.

Pratap Kishore, the man behind the 1969 agitation had to go underground to evade arrest and detention by the Andhra police but was arrested in November of 1969, and detained in Musheerabad jail. While in the jail Pratap Kishore organized a meeting of jailed Telangana fighters and the minutes and resolution passed in this meeting within the jail were smuggled out and reported in the national media, needless to say it created a furore within the state and national government. Seeing the condition in which the students were being held in the Jail, Pratap Kishore led a hunger strike with the result that the students were treated as political prisoners and not like common criminals as was then happening.

Pratap Kishore, a staunch separatist spent the years from 1980 to 2004 in carrying out his crusade for a separate state of Telangana and kept the cause alive during the bleak 1980’s and 90’s when no one dared speak of a separate state. He revived the Telangana Praja Samiti in 1984 and held Telangana conventions in Hyderabad, Warangal and Mahbubnagar as well as mohallah meetings across Hyderabad. In June 1987, Pratap Kishore lead a 5 member TPS team on a padayatra from the Charminar in Hyderabad to Delhi, to highlight the cause of Telangana. In 1985 the TPS as a protest against the unhygienic living conditions in the city and the apathy of the Government, presented a kilo of garbage collected from the overflowing and uncleared garbage dumps in the city to Mr. NT Rama Rao, the CM of Andhra Pradesh. The direct fallout of this was the holding of the Municipal Council elections in 1986.

From 1985 to 2003 Pratap Kishore led the TPS in a dawn to dusk fast every November 1, at the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial in Basheerbagh, as a mark of respect for the martyrs who laid down their lives in 1969, fighting for a separate state. This in spite of the fact that from 1996 he was a cardiac patient and was on medical support. As General Secretary of TPS, Pratap Kishore published a large number of status reports on the lack of development and the injustice done to Telangana and tried to build Governmental consensus for a Separate Statehood. In 2000 at an open house organized by the State Electricity Board and the World Bank, which had granted a loan of Rs 4,200 crore to the ASPSEB, Pratap Kishore spoke against the APSEB’s practice of billing the consumers bi-monthly and charging an interest on the previous months consumption. He stated that this was hurting the middle class citizens especially those living on their pensions. Wherein instead of making one small payment each month they were being forced to make one big payment for two months plus interest and taxes. This he said was breaking the finances and the back bone of the retired senior citizens making their ends meet on their pensions. This speech of his received a standing ovation and the World Bank took up the issue with the result that APSEB today sends out monthly bills.

In fact, most of the works published by him “Towards Telangana State” “How to achieve Telangana” spoke about the ways of protest we today talk about like boycotting Andhra products and traders, not letting out homes to Andhra’s, support and preference for Telangana people while selecting them for jobs. Pratap Kishore a journalist, a writer he wrote over 100 short stories, Urdu couplets and a die hard Telangana separatist breathed his last on January 29, 2004 surrounded by his family. As per his wishes, his ashes were immersed in the Sangam of the Isa and Musa rivers in Hyderabad, as he wanted his ashes to be mingled with the soil of Telangana.

Pratap Kishore was wont to say, “I may die but will never be dead until Telangana is formed. And it is a belief of all those who were touched by him, that his soul will rest in eternal peace only when Telangana state is formed.

Jai Telangana
Jai Hind

Neera Kishore
neerakishore@yahoo.com

P S Jayaram
Khaleez Times, 23 December 2011

HYDERABAD – What had been a mere speculation in the political circles in the past few months is coming true. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which had violently opposed YSR Congress party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s tour of Telangana last year, is now gearing up to welcome him in mid-January when he is expected to undertake a tour of the region.

This politically-strategic move, political observers believe, is the first step towards establishing an electoral tie-up between the two parties ahead of the 2014 elections. An alliance between TRS and YSR Congress could prove to be a lethal combination since it is widely believed that Jagan had eroded the political bases of both the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions while TRS, being a party fighting for the separate Telangana statehood cause, would expectedly do well in the region. TRS leaders argue that they had not opposed the ongoing trip of TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu in Telangana in deference to the democratic spirit. Hence, there is no reason why the party should oppose Jagan’s tour either, they contend. The fact is that the separatist party would be seen in poor light if they oppose Naidu’s tour and then remain silent when Jagan undertakes his tour.

TRS Floor Leader in the Legislative Assembly E Rajender justified his party’s decision stating that it had decided to respect the democratic spirit as far as the other parties are concerned. “We are in a democratic polity and every party has the right to carry out its programmes, and hence, TRS has not given any call to oppose Naidu’s tours in Telangana,” he said.

Interestingly, TRS does not view Jagan as an enemy now despite the fact that the Kadapa MP had displayed a placard in Lok Sabha advocating united Andhra. It is also a known fact that Jagan does have a fair share of supporters in Telangana region too, particularly the youth.

Meanwhile, Naidu said his party would ensure that the farmers in the state get a profit of 50 per cent on their produce if his party comes to power. All the promises that the TDP makes to farmers would be included in the party manifesto, he said.

Addressing farmers in adjoining Medak district, the former chief minister accused the Congress government of neglecting the farm sector and alleged that the state government had failed to come to their rescue despite declaring over 800 mandals as drought-hit. Asking the government if they were blind to the problems faced by farmers, Naidu wondered if the ministers were in slumber. “Can’t they see problems faced by farmers? Crops have dried, farmers are unable to get remunerative prices for their produce and they are in dire straits,” he said.

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/December/international_December874.xml&section=international

HYDERABAD: The YSR Congress (YSRC) has decided to contest all the byelections, including those in Telangana, which will have to be held if the speaker disqualifies 17 MLAs who defied their party whips to vote against the Kiran Kumar Reddy Congress government in the no-trust vote on December 5.

The party’s president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy made this clear to the band of elected reps that are currently sailing with him in a meeting he convened at his Lotus Pond residence here on Thursday.
Sources said the Kadapa MP is planning to tour Telangana as a preparatory step towards the byelections.

“We have decided to fight all byelections regardless of where they are held. Let the Congress disqualify all of us at one go and not in batches,” said Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, one of the defiant Congress MLAs.

“There is no need for the speaker to send notices to us. We all voted against the government and he was witness to it. Let the speaker disqualify all of us immediately.”

Of the 17 whip-violating MLAs (16 of the Congress and one from the PRP, Shobha Nagi Reddy), three did not turn up at Jagan’s meeting Thursday: Konda Surekha, G Srikanth Reddy and Kapu Ramachandra Reddy.
Party sources said they were preoccupied with some other work. Of the MPs loyal to Jagan, only Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy turned up. There was no trace of Anakapalli MP Sabbam Hari.

Jagan is understood to have asked the MLAs how confident they are about winning the byelections if the speaker disqualified them. Sources said he has inputs that the party may not fare well in at least three constituencies including Parkal and Rayachoti if byelections are held.

If the YSRC wins a majoirty of the byelections, the MP hopes to lure more MLAs out of the Congress.

The election of B Sriramulu in the recent Bellary byelection in spite of the corruption charges against him has apparently cheered up the YSR Congress. One MLA who attended in Thursday’s meeting said, “Corruption is no issue in Indian politics. People are reconciled to it.”

Opinion among those who met on Thursday seemed to be that the Congress will not move on the 17 rebels till byelections to five currently vacant seats in Telangana and one in coastal Andhra are notified. Jagan reportedly observed that the Congress might call the local body elections first. In such a case, the party should be ready for that fight as well.

According to one MLA, Jagan is eager to to fight the byelections sooner rather than later as there are signs of his charisma waning. The significance of the gradual decline in attendance at his Odarpu shows is not lost on him.

Another rebel legislator Dharmana Krishna Das said: “The Congress is dragging its feet on disqualifying us because it knows that we will win a majority of byelections. The party appears to be under the impression that a delay will turn the situation in its favour.”

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ysrc-decides-to-contest-all-bypolls/214376-60-114.html

New Delhi: The possibility of the Congress high command pushing for the constitution of a Telangana Regional Council as well as similar boards for the two other regions gathered momentum here on Saturday after chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy held talks with party president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Significantly, former minister from Telangana and MLC D Srinivas, who has been summoned by the high command, met the chief minister at AP Bhavan on Saturday afternoon. Srinivas, whose name is being mentioned as a possible chairman of the Telangana Regional Council, rushed to the national capital three days ago and has already held meetings with Sonia and other leaders. In the meantime, in response to the party’s summons, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana landed here on Saturday morning and is slated to hold talks with the central leaders on Sunday.

While interacting with the media on Friday, Azad had said it was time that something should be done about Telangana. “The Centre is all set to announce regional councils for the three regions along with granting a financial package. Once that is done, the Kiran cabinet will be reconstituted and the state government will go about its business till the Assembly elections in 2014,” AICC sources told STOI.

The sources hinted that the Congress high command was also in touch with TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, a claim that was denied by TRS leaders in Hyderabad.

‘Telangana-council a short-term step’

“KCR and those fighting for Telangana will be told that the announcement of the Telangana regional council will not mean the end of the road for statehood. The consultation process on the demand for a separate state will continue. The regional council will only be a short term measure until the Congress completes discussions with all the stakeholders,” the sources said.

Azad has already linked the cabinet expansion to the decision on Telangana, stating that the former will not take place until a forward movement is made on the latter. “There is an immediate need to accommodate the PRP MLAs in the cabinet. That cannot happen until the regional councils are announced. Hence the urgency,” said a leader.

In their talks on Saturday, it was decided that despite the Kiran Kumar Reddy government defeating the no-confidence motion moved by the TDP, there was an urgent need to strengthen the hands of the chief minister. “And with the party having decided to seek disqualification of the 17 Congress MLAs who had voted for the motion, the Kiran regime will be reduced to a minority. This can be offset only by formalizing the Congress-PRP merger in the Assembly and ensuring that the PRP members are included in the cabinet,” said Congress sources in Hyderabad.

While the chief minister returned to Hyderabad on Saturday evening, D Srinivas has stayed back and the high command is slated to hold talks both with him and Botsa on Sunday.

In all probability, the regional councils will be announced very soon after the loose ends are tied up and the extent of financial package for the three regions are finalized, said the sources

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIH/2011/12/11&PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00702&ViewMode=HTML

Special Correspondent, The Hindu December 11, 2011

TRS denies having been consulted by Congress on the Telangana issue

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has denied that it was consulted by the Congress high command in a bid to resolve the separate Telangana issue.

Talking to mediapersons here on Saturday, the party MLA T. Harish Rao condemned reports that the Congress leaders in New Delhi were in touch with the TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He warned the Congress that the TRS will not remain quiet if it came up with any package or development council or the States Reorganisation Commission as an alternative to statehood.

The TRS will not accept anything short of a separate State with Hyderabad as capital. There was no question of accepting the demand, Mr. Rao said.

He criticised the State government for sending a proposal to the Centre to construct 2,000 kms of national highway that had only 380 kms in Telangana. He demanded a larger share for the region.

Meanwhile, the TRS president and Mr. Harish Rao today called on Politburo member Cheruku Sudhakar at a corporate hospital in Malakpet. He was admitted to the hospital for an illness following his release from Warangal central jail on Thursday. Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao refused to speak to the media

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/article2704444.ece

The Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) just exists for namesake, tucked away in the backyard of the crumbling old MCH building complex at Darulshifa. It is gasping for funds even as it is crippled by lack of powers and acute shortage of staff.

Way back in August 1981, the then chief minister T Anjaiah announced the formation of QQSUDA as “an Eid gift to the people of Old City.” It was constituted as a development agency for the overall development of the Old City. To make it a high-profile body, the chief minister is the Chairman and the Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister is the vice chairman of QQSUDA. The managing committee is in charge of formulating policy matters and reviewing its performance. Hardly any meetings of QQSUDA board were held by successive chief ministers in the last three decades.

QQSUDA’s mission is to plan and promote the development of Old City through creation of infrastructure such as sewerage, storm water drains, bore wells, internal roads, CC roads, community halls, compound walls for graveyards, recreational and market facilities, hospital and school buildings, housing and other works. QQSUDA’s jurisdiction extends over 64.5 sq kms spread over 11 assembly constituencies—Charminar, Bahadurpura, Yakutpura, Chandrayangutta, Malakpet, Goshamahal, Karwan, Nampally, Jubilee Hills and parts of Maheshwaram and L B Nagar.

Right from its birth, QQSUDA has been handicapped, with meager financial allocations, inadequate staff and truncated powers. It is not an urban authority with exclusive jurisdiction under the provisions of AP Urban Areas (Development) Act, 1975. It is also not a statutory civic infrastructure body like Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board. Most of its 30 officers are drawn from other departments and the annual budgetary grant-in-aid of Rs 4 to 5 crore is barely enough to pay the salaries of its 125 employees let alone maintenance of its office.

QQSUDA’s brief moment of glory came in 1985 when Telugu Desam supremo and then chief minister N T Rama Rao sought to give fillip to the development of Old City through a range of 17 civic amenities. He got QQSUDA registered as a society and posted a senior IAS officer J P Murthy as administrator and K V Ramanachary as secretary. A planning expert A L Taha was appointed as chief planning officer of QQSUDA. NTR also commissioned a study on the Old City through Regional Centre for Environmental and Urban Studies, Osmania University.

Prof M A Muttalib supervised the study and submitted a three-volume report to the Government. Based on the study’s recommendations, QQSUDA prepared a project report for urban renewal with an estimated outlay of Rs 270 crore. NTR wanted to pose the Old City project to World Bank for assistance. The project was to be implemented in a five-year timeframe. However, NTR’s enthusiasm hit the bureaucratic road-block.

When the Old City renewal project came up in the cabinet meeting, a top bureaucrat heading the finance department stoutly opposed it on the ground that the project was “meaningless” since the ruling party would not get any political dividends in the Old City. The project report was sent to the central government without the cabinet resolution. The Centre refused to pose it to the World Bank in the absence of the state government’s willingness to stand guarantee for the loan.

Owing to lack of adequate budgetary support, the QQSUDA has been forced to execute only “deposit works” entrusted to it by other agencies like Hyderabad District Collectorate, through funds, tapped under MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and Assembly Constituency Development Programme (ACDP), from Hyderabad MP and other MLAs from the Old City. Sometimes, the successive chief ministers came up with additional grants for QQSUDA on persistent lobbying by the elected representatives.

When the Rs 2,025 crore Old City package was announced by then CM Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in 2006, works costing Rs 27 crore (just one percent of the total outlay) were allotted to QQSUDA. Though QQSUDA executed deposit works amounting to Rs 129 crore during 2004-09, no fresh works were taken up from 2006-09 as the available funds were utilized only to clear pending bills of contractors. An additional grant of Rs 12.5 crore was given in 2009-10. During first round of Rachabanda in the Old City in February 2011, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy promised to sanction Rs 20 crore for QQSUDA. The budgetary allocation for QQSUDA is, however, pegged at Rs 19 crore in the current year’s budget.

After completing 30 years of its uneventful existence, QQSUDA has nothing to cheer about. The question asked by an urban planner and retired bureaucrat years ago still seems relevant: Kyon, kyon saab, yeh development authority? (Why sir, this development authority?)

(The writer is a member of AP Legislative Council and journalist)

Hyderabad: TRS MLA K Tarakarama Rao on Monday announced that he would commit suicide in full public view if someone proves that his party or leaders got benefited from the Polavaram Project tenders.

Speaking at the Assembly media point, Rao challenged TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu to prove the allegations that he levelled against the TRS leaders on the floor of the House during discussions on No Confidence Motion.

He said was ready for any inquiry into the awarding of Polavaram tenders. “If the inquiry report indicts TRS, I will hang myself to death,” he said.

However, he said Naidu should quit politics and disband his party if the TRS gets a clean chit in the enquiry. He said people would teach a fitting lesson to Naidu if he do not stop levelling such baseless allegations against the TRS.

Earlier in the Assembly, perturbed by TDP chief’s reference to TRS while alleging irregularities in the award of Indira Sagar Polavaram Project, the TRS members strongly protested, interrupting his speech during the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Assembly.

After the verbal volley between Naidu and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy ended, the TRs members were on their feet, protesting against the reference made by Naidu to their party on the Polavaram irrigation project tenders issue. “Polavaram tenders were manipulated and the files were tampered with.

Congress and TRS colluded to get the project contract awarded to an ineligible firm,” Naidu charged.The TRS members took exception to this and raised a protest. TRS floor leader E Rajender demanded that the government order an inquiry by the CBI into the Polavaram tenders issue. “The TDP should prove its allegations,” he demanded.

source: http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=1&subCategory=2&ContentId=23601

Soon after the untenable PD Act was revoked, the dreaded NSA was invoked. It is entirely unwarranted and unethical

“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me”.

This was the confession of a German pastor Niemoeler who was taken away by the Nazis during the Second World War. The decision of the State government on Tuesday to order detention of Cheruku Sudhakar for 12 months in jail under the National Security Act (NSA) reminded me of the pastor’s plight as quoted by noted journalist and diplomat Kuldip Nayar in his book ‘Judgment’ which was written after he came out of prison as the Emergency was lifted in 1977.

Dr Cheruku Sudhakar was with PDSU when he was a student. I was not with that organization as a student. He worked for Janashakti group of Chandra Pullareddy. I don’t subscribe to the ideology of that party. Far from it. He differed with CP group on caste question and joined Veeranna group of Telangana Mahasabha.

I never rubbed shoulders with either Veeranna or Dr Sudhakar. He is a good poet and wrote several popular songs on social issues. Though I dabbled in poetry before shedding innocence, I cannot claim to be a poet.

Sudhakar did a lot of experiments in his life, like marrying a dalit and giving his daughter in marriage to a BC, although the wedding was performed in a pompous way unbecoming of a communist. He was actively associated with the Telangana movement and was instrumental in the success of 42-day Sakala Janula Samme.

He is rugged, emotional and an able organizer. I am only an observer, a commentator and a journalist and certainly not an activist. I describe myself as a liberal-social-democrat, if I may say so, and a concerned citizen.

That is precisely why I am annoyed with the decision of the government to incarcerate the poor people’s doctor of Nakirekal in Nalgonda district for effectively organizing a strike which was later condoned by the State government by taking a lenient view of the employees who participated in it. The strike was a part of the ongoing, peaceful agitation for a separate T-state.

The movement was acknowledged as constitutional and peaceful, representing the aspirations of considerable number (not all) of people in the region. Leaders and cadres of all political parties in T-region, with the exception of CPI(M)and Lok Satta were actively involved in the movement, organized dharnas, rasta rokos, got arrested, and went to jail.

The detention of the physician is illegal and in contravention of the Fundamental Rights enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution. Preventive Detention Act is meant to be used to nab bootleggers, smugglers and law-breakers.

The charges against the doctor, who was taken into custody under Section 151 Cr. P. C., include demanding of funds for irrigation project, minimum support price to agro products, etc. Soon after the untenable PD Act was revoked, the dreaded NSA was invoked. It is entirely unwarranted and unethical.

An appeal to the Chief Secretary of the State government Pankaj Dwivedi by senior and highly respected citizens like Chukka Ramaiah, Pothuri Venkateswara Rao, Prof Haragopal and Prof Rama Melkote had no effect.

Interestingly, the very same Dwivedi, when he was the district collector at Warangal, had refused to sign preventive detention orders against Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao. He may have some limitations as a chief secretary.

It is not surprising that a three-member committee concurred with the decision of the district magistrate and collector of Nalgonda to detain Sudhakar. The committee also ratified the case booked under NSA. Such committees usually ratify the official actions unless there are procedural irregularities.

India is one of a few democratic countries where the Preventive Detention law enjoys constitutional validity even during peace time. No such law exists in the US or England. The European Court of Human Rights held long ago that such laws are illegal under the European Convention on Human Rights. Freedom-lovers everywhere have a duty to oppose the indiscriminate use of black laws.

Why did the government pick up Dr Sudhakar and not someone else? This is a question which has been bothering those of us who believe in the rule of law. As a principle, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy goes by the rule book. Soon after he took over the reins one year ago, I met him along with the first three of the concerned citizens listed above (Ramaiah, Pothuri and Haragopal).

We requested him to use his authority to set former Naxalite leader Ganesh free since he had already served 15 years in prison, he has kidney problem needing regular dialysis and has a large family to support. He was accused of killing Magunta Subbirami Reddy, MP and owner of Udayam daily of which I was the editor.

Subbarami Reddy’s wife Parvatamma, a former MLA, also made an appeal to the government to release Ganesh because he had not shot but had, instead, been shot at, and the plan of the Naxalites then was only to kidnap the MP, who was considered a popular politician, in order to demand the release of a prominent Naxal leader. Ganesh was escorting the MP on December 1, 1995, when another Naxalite opened fire. The MP died on the spot and Ganesh was injured in the abdomen.

The chief minister did not oblige us, saying that if he agreed to our request there would be a lot of pressure on him from the factionists for the same kind of decision. Governor Narasimhan, who came to Andhra Pradesh from Chattisgarh, is known for his strong views on the Naxalite movement. The policy of the Union Home Minister Chidambaram needs no reiteration.

There have been reports, including the one by Justice Srikrishna Committee, that the Telangana movement is backed by Naxalites and that the extremists have infiltrated into the movement. This argument gets fortified if a person like Sudhakar, who is a known sympathizer of Naxalites and a strong votary of the T-State, is taken to task.

Besides proving that there are Naxalites behind the T-movement, a strong warning also could be sent to the students and other young activists who have been involved full-time in the movement that they also would, sooner or later, end up like Sudhakar in a jail. Such tactics are adopted by almost all governments. If the political executive is reluctant, the bureaucrats (IPS, in particular) would push it forward.

The police officials in AP have been starved of special privileges, out-of-turn promotions and slush money ever since the Naxalites left the State for Chattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jarkhand and West Bengal. There is reason to believe that at least some (certainly not all, of course) of the officers have a vested interest in having the Naxalite problem boiling.

It may sound uncharitable and irresponsible, but it is true. Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason to invoke NSA and put Dr Sudhakar in jail for one year. This threat might work. The T-movement might get weakened. The State may return to normality. But, true peace is not merely the absence of tensions; it is the presence of justice, as Martin Luther King Jr rightly said.

Source: http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=1&subCategory=5&ContentId=24108

December 9, 2011 Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad

In the event of the Centre failing to form a separate Telangana, the TRS is all set to resolve the issue through bypolls and the coming 2014 General Elections. The TRS is ecstatic about the results of the recent Nielsen-Marg survey giving them 70 to 80 out of the 119 seats in Telangana. The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is mighty pleased with the survey results, which if realised, could drastically change the political scenario in the region. The TRS sources said that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao told close confidants that the agitations for a separate Telangana will continue intermittently till the elections.

Though the Telangana Congress MP, Mr Manda Jagannadham, and others exude confidence that the party high command will take a positive decision on Telangana anytime, TRS leaders are skeptical about the claim. The TRS politburo member, Mr B. Vinod Kumar, admitted to this newspaper that a media house requested for the survey in the region through Nielsen-Marg and the copy of the survey was presented to Mr Chandrasekhar Rao.

“It’s a fact, Nielsen-Marg conducted the survey last month and a copy of the report was given to Mr Rao. The survey revealed that the TRS could bag 70 to 80 Assembly seats and a good number of Parliament seats in the Telangana region if elections are conducted,” Mr Vinod Kumar said. “His (KCR’s) idea is that if the party has the support of sufficient MLAs it could press for bifurcation of the state. It could call the shots,” said another senior party leader. But a Congress MP is unsure of the TRS’ claim. “Once the T-steam is out, it’s difficult for the TRS to gain politically. What’s the guarantee people will again pitch for the TRS since it failed to achieve its goal despite all kinds of agitations? On the other hand, the Congress is strong. All parties are going to fight for the 2014 polls,” a Congress MP said.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/trs-focus-2014-elections-375

December 6, 2011 Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad

The TRS on Monday demanded that the government order a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in awarding the Polavaram contract. The TRS was earlier pushed to a corner by the Leader of Opposition, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, who accused the TRS chief Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao of mortgaging the Telangana agitation for the Polavaram contract, during the debate on the no-confidence motion. The construction company SEW, which owns considerable stake in a pro-Telangana newspaper in which Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is a partner, was preferred by the state government in Polavaram contract despite certain inadequacies.

The TRS floor leader, Mr E. Rajender, said his party demanded not just the cancellation of the tenders but scrapping of the project itself. He reminded the House that it was Mr Chandrasekhar Rao who mobilized the Telangana people against Polavaram dam which will drown 370 T-villages in Khammam district. Mr Rajender said his party was pained at the House not debating the aspirations of four crore people of Telangana and suicides by hundreds of students and farmers in Telangana. He also demanded that the state implement the Prof. Swaminathan Committee recommendations that farmers in T be paid `500 more than the MSP paid to coastal farmers.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/trs-wants-cbi-probe-dam-deal-620

Scroll painting done in the village of Cheriyal in Warangal could go up to 40 feet in length

Many centuries ago, when the radio, television and cinema had not even been thought of, audio- visual entertainment did exist! Many arts and crafts developed in various parts of the world, with an aim to entertain the people. Scroll painting was one among them.

In those times, the scroll played the role of the visual medium and the song of the bard was the audio medium. Of all the various arts and crafts found in India, scroll painting is unique and different. This craft has been practiced, from time immemorial, in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh scroll painting is done in the little village called Cheriyal in Warangal district. Bards from the “kaki padagollu” community, used these scrolls to narrate stories from the Indian epics and other folk tales.

The scroll would flow like a film roll. It was generally around three feet in width and went up to 40 feet in length, depending upon the story. Like large sized comic strips, each panel of the scroll depicted one part of the story. Hence, a scroll would easily have around 50 panels. As the bard would narrate the story, the panel depicting that particular part of the story would be displayed.

Keeping art alive

“For many years now, only two families in Cheriyal village continue to pursue this craft. Scrolls have not been made for a long time now and the art of storytelling is non-existant,” says M. Madhu, a State Award winner for Cheriyal painting in 2007.

“To keep the craft alive, either single panels, which are a part of a story are painted; or many panels are painted in the miniature painting style on a much smaller base”, adds Madhu. Each painting, however small takes a long time to complete as the work is very colourful, bold and yet intricate. Things have changed today. Some of the individual artists have moved to bigger cities like Chennai and Hyderabad where they work on orders they receive from Government handicraft organisations and individual interior designers. They also conduct classes and workshops to spread their knowledge to those who are interested to learn.

Madhu, who conducts workshops in Hyderabad continues to say that, “though we try to maintain some of the basic elements of the craft, we have to introduce certain changes to appeal to the modern generation. The canvas used, these days, is treated with tamarind powder, boiled sago and dolla white chalk, which gives it the same finish as of the scrolls.” Madhu continues to use designs from old scrolls, with a little of his own creativity added to it. He teaches his students to do the same. Vegetable colours are still used, though other paints are easier to use. Ordinary paint brushes are used to fill in the colours and brushes made of squirrel hair are used to draw the black outline of the figures and other thin lines. Though scroll painting and story telling are no longer in vogue, the age old craft of Cheriyal is being kept alive by a handful of the artists. These paintings have gained popularity in the national and the international market, as well. With people in cities also learning this craft, the future of Cheriyal painting does not really look bleak.

To learn more about this craft, to place orders for paintings and to find out more about workshops conducted in Hyderabad contact Mr Madhu @9848581044.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-youngworld/article2691297.ece

Marathon 16-hour-long debate ends at 1.30 a.m.

The Congress government defeated the Telugu Desam-sponsored no confidence motion by a comfortable margin of 160-122 votes at the end of a marathon 16-hour-long debate that ended at 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

But the ruling party paid a heavy price for its victory after 16 of its MLAs defied its whip and voted in favour of the no trust motion, notwithstanding the likelihood of their disqualification from the Assembly. If they are disqualified, the Congress party’s own strength will come down to 137, way below the half-way mark in the 294-member Assembly.

However, the voting pattern, including the rebellion by the pro-Jagan MLAs, went along expected lines. The Opposition parties comprising the TDP, TRS, CPI, BJP, CPI (M) and Congress rebels closed ranks and voted in support of the motion while the one-year-old Kiran Kumar Reddy government mustered the backing of the Praja Rajyam and its ally, the MIM, to sail through. Lok Satta member N. Jayaprakash Narayan remained neutral.

In all, 19 MLAs owing allegiance to YSR Congress, including Vijayamma, a TDP member Balanagi Reddy and Shoba Nagi Reddy (PR), voted in favour of the no confidence motion. This was being predicted since morning after these MLAs openly declared their decision to support the TDP’s motion on the ground that it was primarily aimed at highlighting the farmers’ plight. However, one Congress MLA, Puthalapattu Ravi from Chittoor district, slipped away from their camp and returned to the Congress fold at the very last moment.
Minus the existing vacancies and the abstentions, the effective strength of the 294-member Assembly is 283 and the government required at least 143 votes to survive.

The final moments of the debate were marked by pandemonium when TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu traded charges with Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana over the Volkswagen scam.

The Congress victory was largely a result of the high command brokering peace with the sulking 18-member Praja Rajyam late on Sunday night. It was already assured of support from seven MIM members, after Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy promised the Greater Hyderabad Mayorship to that party. The debate was marked by acrimonious exchanges between Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu and the Chief Minister.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article2690916.ece

HYDERABAD: Accusing Congress and Telugu Desam Party of conspiring to prevent the Assembly from moving a resolution in support of separate Telangana state, TRS on Friday gave a notice to Speaker Nadendla Manohar seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.

The TRS notice comes a day after TDP gave a similar notice over government’s failure to come to the rescue of drought-hit farmers in the state. TRSLP floor leader E Rajendar in his letter, signed by nine of the 13 TRS MLAs, said, “This House expresses no-confidence in the council of ministers…. On account of its failure to keep the promise made by the government on Telangana.”

Though TRS needs the support of at least 30 members to initiate a debate on the no-trust motion, the party feels that this would give them an opportunity to expose the Congress and TDP on the Telangana issue. “If T Congress and TDP MLAs do not come forward to support our no-trust motion, their sincerity and commitment towards the statehood cause will stand exposed. We have already announced our support to TDP’s no-trust motion in return for their help in moving a resolution on Telangana,” said Rajendar.

Earlier in the day, pandemonium prevailed in the House for the second consecutive day with the TDP and TRS members disrupting the proceedings in support of their respective demands for a no-confidence motion and a resolution on Telangana.

Members from both the parties surrounded the Speaker’s podium as soon as the House assembled for the day resulting in two adjournments, one of them barely two minutes after the session began. They refused to resume their seats despite Speaker’s assurance that he was in receipt of the TDP’s no-confidence motion and that he would inform them about the rule position. Some Telangana Congress MLAs were seen raising slogans in support of a separate state, while TDP members displayed placards demanding introduction of a bill on Telangana in the current session of Parliament.

But for introduction of three government bills, the House could not transact any other business. The bills introduced on Friday were The AP Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments (amendment) Bill 2011, the AP Municipal Laws (second amendment) Bill 2011 and the Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) (amendment) Bill 2011.

According to Friday’s schedule, the House was to take up short discussions on ‘drought situation and problems of farmers’ and ‘rising prices of essential commodities.’ Even the condolence motions could not be taken up because of the logjam in the Assembly.

Soon after the Speaker adjourned the House for the day at around 11 am, TRS legislators staged a dharna outside the CM’s chamber demanding withdrawal of all cases against Telangana agitators.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/TRS-moves-no-trust-motion-against-Kiran-govt/articleshow/10976083.cms

SANGAREDDY: In a major setback for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is striving to get a foothold in trade unions in the region, Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao lost in workers union elections of Mahindra and Mahindra Automobile Industry in Zaheerabad and Kirby Constructions Limited in Patancheru on Saturday. Incidentally, the TRS forayed into the trade unions with Harish winning in the MRF union polls in the district.

Harish was defeated by CITU nominee Chukka Ramulu and INTUC candidate M Mypal Reddy respectively in the two trade union elections.

In Mahindra and Mahindra union polls, Harish got only 179 votes, while Ramulu was polled 243. Mypal Reddy was polled 321 votes, while Harish got only 185 votes in Kirby union elections.

source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/harish-loses-in-two-trade-union-polls/208530-60-114.html

Tales from the village

Sukka Sunder defines his latest collection as a representation of a shepherd’s life. Vishnupriya Bhandaram

Sukka Sunder and his wife, Karuna Sukka’s joint exhibition of paintings and etchings is on display at the Shrishti Art Gallery.

Sunder’s work is defined mostly by animal forms. He says, “My creations and imagery draw a dialogue between me and my surroundings” Sunder grew up in Mehboobnagar, and had many Yadav neighbours and their routine of taming sheep for a livelihood created an impression on him. “The paintings revolve around the daily life of a shepherd and his family” he adds.

Sunder’s works are mostly acrylics on canvas. With bright colours, Sunder takes in a sheep as the primary subject and through that he weaves an excellent tale of a humble village life.

The colours are bright and the subject is simple, yet deep. His piece titled— ‘Returning home’ is poetic. The canvas encapsulates the concept of ‘home’, as the form of a sheep on the gongadi and has village houses in it, marks the importance of the animal and its connection with home. His paintings mark the philosophy of animal husbandry and the folk culture of the Yadavs and how the animal forms a big a part of their celebrations.

Sunder uses textures in his paintings to depict the wool on the sheep that is coarse. Two of his remarkable paintings are of on paper using Indian ink, creating a washed out look.

Karuna Sukka’s etchings and prints stand out. The miniature sizes (5x5cm) showcase a plethora of emotions. The artist uses household objects, life situations and emotional attachment to the worldly activities in her prints. The process of her work is extensive; a black and white etching of a foot stands out in testimony to passed time.

The paintings and etchings will be on display till December 4.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/article2678993.ece