Osmania varsity students make strong case for Telangana state

Osmania University student JAC on Tuesday made a strong plea for bifurcation of state on the grounds that students in the region were suffering due to lack of employment and education opportunities. They alleged that people from other regions were grabbing jobs at the expense of the local youth. This discrimination by successive Govts, they said, had given rise to a strong feeling for a separate state and Telangana agitation in November last stirred up strong sentiments among the youth. They said several students had even committed suicide for the cause while many others had to face the police lathis and bullets. The 10-member student JAC delegation was accompanied by two students B Hanumantha Rao and Swapna who suffered lathi and bullet injuries during the agitation. They told the committee that police resorted to firing and lathicharge on students while they were conducting peaceful agitation for Telangana on the university campus.

When Duggal asked the students to explain the reasons for suicides by students, JAC members said the sentiment was running so high that the youths resorted to the extreme measures to highlight the need for bifurcation of the state and draw the attention of Union government to the injustice meted to Telangana people in employment, higher education and budget allocations. K Venkata Chary, father of Srikantha Chary who was the first student to commit suicide during the agitation also explained the reasons for the sacrifice made by his son to the committee.

Telangana Gazetted Officers Association also presented a 300-page report to the committee illustrating how Telangana employees were denied promotions to gazetted posts in every department. Association president V Srinivas Goud said the successive state governments violated the Presidential orders and mulki rules in the government jobs and promotions. The state government brought all gazetted posts under the state cadre and promoted non-Telangana officials, he said. He pointed out that many Andhra officials were promoted and appointed on deputation in Telangana. He said that many secretary level posts in the state secretariat were given to Andhra officials.

Another delegation from Samakyandra Samithi Party led by G Kumar Choudhary Yadav submitted a memorandum to the Srikrishna Committee urging not to bifurcate the state and develop all backward districts by allocating special funds.

(source-toi)