Hyderabad, July 7 (IANS) Protest for a separate Telangana state intensified further Thursday with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators launching a 'bus yatra', the Joint Action Committee (JAC) planning joint agitation and students taking out rallies even as anti-Telangana protests began in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
In a tactical move, Telangana JAC postponed two-day rail blockade, which was to begin Friday. The apex body, spearheading the movement, will announce new dates after consultations with all public representatives who submitted their resignations for a separate state.
As Congress, TDP, Communist Party of India and other parties are not part of the JAC, it decided to launch a united struggle by involving them in consultations.
JAC chairman M. Kodandaram also announced postponement of cooking on roads protest in Telangana scheduled for Sunday.
Claiming that mass resignations of 15 MPs and about 100 legislators had stirred the central government into action, Kodandaram stressed the need to carry along all parties and groups.
In another crucial decision, unions of government employees in Telangana said they were ready for non-cooperation movement and even strike. Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers' Association president Swami Goud told reporters that an action plan would be chalked out after July 9.
In response to the JAC call, students boycotted classes and took out rallies in various towns of Telangana. For the third consecutive day, there was tension at Osmania University here as police fired teargas shells to disperse students trying to take out a rally.
In towns like Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam, Adilabad and Nalgonda, students took out huge rallies demanding the central government to table Telangana bill in parliament.
Rajya Sabha member belonging to TDP Gundu Sudha Rani announced her resignation. She became the 15th MP from the region to quit for a separate state.
TDP legislators, who have already resigned, Thursday launched 'bus yatra' in the region to press the demand for a separate state. The legislators will cover all the 10 districts of the region till July 14.
Congress MPs, who returned from New Delhi, again ruled out withdrawing their resignations unless the centre initiates the process for formation of a separate state. MPs began a meeting in the evening to chalk out their future course of action.
Meanwhile, protests against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh began in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Students of Andhra University in Visakhapatnam and in towns like Kadapa, Chittoor and Anantapur took out rallies, demanding the public representatives of the two regions to resign to oppose any move to divide the state.
TDP legislator Devineni Uma said the MPs and lawmakers of Andhra and Rayalaseema were ready to resign. He warned centre that it would be responsible for any consequences of carving out a separate Telangana state.