Another setback for Telangana as TDP decides to quit panel

The Telangana statehood cause suffered another major setback with the state’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party deciding to leave the Joint Action Committee, which had been spearheading the agitation for a separate state, reports Ashok Das.

The Telangana statehood cause suffered another major setback with the state’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party deciding to leave the Joint Action Committee, which had been spearheading the agitation for a separate state.

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Lawyers hailing from the Telangana region boycotted courts on Monday to protest against what they described as the “double standards” of the TDP.

The JAC had already been debilitated by the state’s ruling Congress having walked out of the committee last month.

With the TDP’s exits, the JAC will be left with just the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), a small sub-regional party with limited influence.

The TDP’s move was prompted by a personalised attack on the business interests of party chief Chandrababu Naidu’s family by the TRS.

JAC convenor M. Kodandaram of the TRS had appealed to people to boycott Heritage Foods, owned by Naidu’s family, unless the former chief minister apologised for attacks on lawyers from Telangana by TDP activists here on Saturday.

TDP leaders from Telangana have been supporting the Telangana statehood demand but the party’s leaders from coastal Andhra have been opposing the demand.