By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Prominent citizens of Hyderabad have written a letter to President Parnab Mukherjee in support of Telangana March scheduled on coming 30th September. The proposed Telangana march by Telangana joint action committee, supported by different political parties and social organizations is a desperate attempt to revive the fading movement for separate statehood.
The timing of the march has created panic in the government circles, as 29th September is being scheduled for immersion of major idols of Ganesh in the city and from 1stOctober Hyderabad is going to host its first major international event Global biodiversity conference. A.P Govt. fears that the march would end up in violence as earlier Telanagana protests were and can cause huge embracement for the city and the nation internationally.
But Telangana leaders are undeterred to change the date and the venue of the march which is planned in the heart of the city. Telangana protagonists have claimed it is their democratic right to protest and Govt. can’t prevent this march. In a representation to the President of India signed by 20 eminent citizens of Hyderabad it is urged that President Pranab Mukherjee should instruct the State and Union governments not to halt the planned “Telangana March”.
The letter reads, “The demand for Telangana state today is loud and clear across the social, economic and political spectrum and it is a demand based not only on numerous instances of discrimination and lack of development, but also as much about the self-respect and dignity of 40 million people of India.”
The signatories including former Supreme Court judge, B. Sudarshan Reddy, former chairman of National Minorities commission Justice Sardar Ali khan, Noted Scientist and former director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, P.M. Bhargava, former planning commission member C.H. Hanmanth Rao, former P.M. secretary K.R. Venougopal Rao, expressed their concern that Govt. might use force to contain the march and to disperse the crowd. They warned against creating road blocks to seize the entrance of the city to create terror like situation and they also cautioned the president that any violent act of Govt. or forceful preventive detentions of leaders will lead to more counter violence from the protestors.
The eminent signatories also notified to the president that using force to contain a democratic protest which is guaranteed under Constitution of India, during International biodiversity conference, “is not the best way for India to project itself as a largest democracy in the world.”
Releasing the letter in the press conference Mehboob Alam Khan, former chairman A.P. Minorities commission expressed his apprehension, that Anti-Telangana lobby might indulge anti-social elements to postpone the March, like creating tension between different communities during Ganesh immersion which is scheduled a day before the march. Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, managing editor Siasat Urdu daily, Rama Malkote, Osmania University professor, freedom fighter Burgula Narsing Rao and heads of some Telangana NGOs were present in the press conference.