Telangana leaders reject ToR, ask MPs MLAs to resign

HYDERABAD - The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Friday rejected the terms of reference (ToR) announced by the Union Government for the five member Justice B.N. Srikrishna committee and asked all its elected representatives to resign in protest against Centre’s betrayal.

Interacting with the media here, TRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao said the terms of reference were unacceptable to people of Telangana and the Centre has betrayed once again.

“The Centre has once again betrayed the people of Telangana. The terms of reference are not acceptable to us. We will continue the agitation and insist on acceptance of our resignations,” he said.

Rao directed all his party MPs, MLAs and MLCs to resign from their posts immediately in protest against the “betrayal”.

In December 2009, Rao undertook 11-day fast which forced the Centre to announce the process for formation of Telangana state.

“The centre has once again betrayed the people of Telangana. The terms of reference are not acceptable to us. We will continue the agitation and insist on acceptance of our resignations,” he added.

Meanwhile the Telangana all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) will hold an emergency meeting this evening to chalk outs its future course of action.

The JAC expressed its disapproval over the term of reference.

“How can the centre equate the demand for Telangana state with the demand for unified Andhra?” questioned JAC leader M. Kodandaram.

The JAC expected that the terms of reference would be to lay a roadmap for carving out Telangana state with a clear time frame.

“Having a time-frame is no reason for accepting the terms of reference,” Kodandaram added.

Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Bandaru Dattatreya said the Centre had once again put the Telangana issue in cold storage.

The Congress MLAs belonging to Telangana region are also meeting in Hyderabad this evening to discuss the terms of reference. (ANI)