This is just a start, says Ashok Babu

Leading the charge from the front, the President of APNGOs and the Convener of Samaikya Rashtra Parirakshana Vedika, Paruchuri Ashokbabu, announced that if the Centre goes ahead with the decision to bifurcate the state, then they would reply with a million march at Parade Grounds. “You are elected to rule and not to divide” he warned. “Four political parties cannot decide the fate of the state. We found fault with each and every political party for this mess up. They have to reconsider their decision and I urge the Union government not to pay heed to the truncated view of the parties. They should speak to people, understand their grievances and sort out the issues. And certainly bifurcation is not the solution. We don’t accept it and oppose it tooth and nail” he said amidst huge applause of the well-attended gathering.

“With immense agony, we gathered here. In a way, this is a historic meeting. Never before in independent India, a meeting of this sort, i.e. without any political participation and back up- had taken place.Some people questioned us why this meeting is convened when the situation is hot. We, in India don’t have the opportunity of referrundum to express our opinions and feelings openly. The voting facility is just confined to put a mark on the ballot sheet. So, to vent out our heart-burn, we decided to hold this meet” he explained.

“Some people of this region have bluntly told us that we have no right to hold a meeting since the decision to bifurcate is already over. Let me tell them clearly that it is the people who should decide the fate of the state. More so, Hyderabad belongs to each and every citizen of the state and none can question the constitutional rights” Ashok Babu added.

“If the State Assembly approves of the bifurcation after a debate, then people would bave been convinced to an extent. But the issue of bifurcation has come to the fore due to the political power greed of some parties” he criticized.

“Time has come for us to exert pressure on our MPs. They should immediately resign from their posts and bring the UPA government to its knees. Seemandhra MPs should be united just as Telengana MPs” he urged.

No political party will have future if it goes against the wishes of people, he remarked. Stating that if the state is divided, nearly 40,000 people shall have to leave Hyderabad, Ashok Babu reminded that many issues relating to promotions, transfers, salaries and even pensions will crop up. “Even to this day, hundreds of cases have been pending before High Courts in Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, the two newly formed states. For example, if the government is changed in 2014, there will be another set of rules. All of us feel this is just unjust” he said.

“Three classes viz students, RTC employees and employees will suffer most if the state is divided. And of course, the issues of water sharing, power supply and Hyderabad will be there. Recently in a meeting in Srikakulam, some parents asked us to defer the strike to facilitate their wards attend the engineering counseling. I asked the children where would he prefer to join. He immediately replied- CBIT in Hyderabad. I asked another guy what’s his preference and he said OMC (Osmania Medical College). I told them if a situation develops where they cannot in both the institutions, they have no answer. What I mean to stress here is the fact that when all the prominent institutions are located here, when all the world class business centres are here, no student or youth would be unwise to lose this” Ashok Babu elaborated.

The biggest casuality will be RTC where more than 20,000 employees will on roads, he said. UPA government shall have to be squarely responsible if the state is go into total darkness because of Electricity employees’ strike, he warned. “The Jai Andhra Movement went on for 108 days. We are prepared for even more than that. We will continue to agitate for days together. We will decide our future course of action on Monday” he declared.