Telangana bandh today

Oppn gears up for Telangana shutdown

Hyderabad: The opposition parties are gearing up for the first major bandh after the formation of Telangana state demanding farm loan waiver in one go.

The State Government has put the entire administration on alert as it apprehends that the Telangana bandh might affect the branding of TRS Government,

which is now being portrayed as anti-farmer. The TSRTC announced that buses would be operated normally.Police deployed additional forces at all district headquarters.

Pickets have been posted at major bus depots where opposition parties are planning to hold protest to prevent plying of RTC buses. The police are likely to make preventive arrests of a few top party leaders of various political parties.

The bandh is unlikely to have an impact on education sector as most of the schools have declared 15-day holidays on completion of quarterly exams on Friday.

Being a second Saturday, many office-goers too might not feel the impact of the bandh. However, the impact, even if symbolic in nature, is expected to boost the morale the opposition parties.

TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy held series of meetings with TDP and BJP leaders to ensure that the bandh becomes a success.

In Hyderabad, it was decided to take out a rally from Charminar to Gowliguda bus stand where they would stage a dharna and stop buses from plying in which the PCC chief will also take part.

Leader of Opposition K Jana Reddy will stage dharna at Mahatma Gandhi bus station while other leaders like Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Danam Nagender and Shabbir Ali will lay siege to other bus depots.

Whatever may be the impact of Saturday's bandh, this joint protest is all set to change the tone of politics in Telangana State. K Jana Reddy on Friday appealed to all sections of society to participate in the Bandh to express solidarity with farmers who are in distress.

Speaking to media persons in Khammam on Friday, Jana Reddy said that the non-implementation of crop loan waiver promise was the major reason that drove hundreds of farmers to suicide.

Jana Reddy asked Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to explain as to why he did not clarify the government's stand on farmers' suicides.

He said KCR has set a bad precedent by suspending entire opposition and winding up Assembly session three days earlier instead of discussing public issues

Telangana TDP president L Ramana said that KCR lacks guts to face the Opposition parties over the issue of farmers. Speaking to media persons at TDP Legislature Party office here,

Ramana said that the Chief Minister did not wake up from slumber even after suicide by nearly 1,500 farmers. KCR is neither willing to waive off the crop loans, nor is he ready to debate on the issue.

Meanwhile, BJP's state-unit president G Kishen Reddy said the lopsided policies of the government were responsible for farmers' suicides.

Reddy flayed the government for the suspension of opposition members from the assembly, thus preventing discussion on the farmers' problems.

Earlier during the day, Congress leaders like Danam Nagender and Anjan Kumar Yadav were arrested near Charminar when they tried to take out a rally seeking support for the bandh.

Even TDP and BJP leaders were also arrested in other parts of Hyderabad.