T State not before 2014 polls: Ajit Singh

• TRLD organises 'Telangana Ladai' programme
• Party to hold 48-hour deeksha at Jantar Mantar in August for T state

Hyderabad: Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) national president Ajit Singh exhorted the people of Telangana to seriously give a thought and support political parties that were committed to the Telangana issue during the next general elections. All parties in the State would resort to vote bank politics in Telangana by speaking in favor of statehood demand thus confusing the electorate in ten districts, he felt.

Ajit Singh was speaking at the 'Telangana Ladai' (Fight for Telangana) programme organised by TRLD, the Telangana unit of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, at Indira Park on Friday. He pointed out that about 1,000 people committed suicides for the statehood cause unlike anywhere else in the country.

"However, the government higher-ups in New Delhi are least bothered, which baffles me," the RLD supremo said. The Minister further stated that he has been closely associated with the Telangana movement for the last 15 years. He informed that he took up the issue in Parliament during 1999 when the NDA government decided to concede three new states.

"I brought to the notice of the August house that Telangana statehood was a very old demand which should be looked at by the government," Ajit Singh said. According to the Union Minister, Telangana would become a reality after 2014 elections. Most of the parties are in favor of Telangana and hence, the newly formed Union government would be left with no option but to concede the separate state, he opined.

Ajit Singh remarked that Hyderabad should remain a part of Telangana similar to the manner in which Maharashtra was given the rights of Bombay city at the time of formation of Gujarat. Not only the public from other regions in the State, people from rest of the country have been staying in Hyderabad for many years, and hence a big fuss should not be created regarding it, he opined. The RLD chief directed the Telangana unit of the party to go all-out in the local body elections, and secure as many seats as possible.

MLC K Dileep Kumar stated that Ajit Singh even lost his Union Minister post for speaking in favour of Telangana at a meeting in Warangal in early 2000. He demanded that TRLD should be made a part of the Telangana JAC.

TRLD leaders Mohammed Riyaz, Ch Seshagiri Rao, Sogra Begum, Balladeer Vimalakka, TJAC co-chairman Mallepalli Lakshmaiah, BJP MLA Yennam Srinivas Reddy, Prof. Keshav Rao Jadhav, TRS suspended leader M Raghunandan Rao, Writer Juluri Gourishanker, Telangana Journalists Union president Kappara Prasad, OU JAC leader M Bhasker and others took part.

Raghunandan blames KCR for youth's suicide

Hyderabad: Continuing his tirade against TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, suspended leader M Raghunandan Rao demanded the State government to book a murder case against him. Raghunandan, who attended the 'Telangana Ladai meeting organised at Indira Park on Friday, held KCR responsible for the suicide of a youth leader Nagaraju at Manthani in Karimnagar district.

According to Raghunandan, the TRS activist resorted to the extreme step because he was unceremoniously suspended after serving for the party for the last 12 years. Raghunandan pointed out that Nagaraju tried to speak to KCR at the Manthani meeting but was not allowed to go near him by other leaders.