T-JAC to keep T-embers alive

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TJAC), which met here on Friday, felt that it would not be possible to revive and intensify the movement for the separate state given the changed circumstances. However, it will organize small-scale protests to kept the T-fire alive till the 2014 elections.

The meeting was held on Friday in the backdrop of TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's Poru Bata, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy's 48-hour fast in support of farmers in Armoor followed by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's Medak tour to launch many developmental schemes. Leaders who took part in the meeting included TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and TJAC chairman M Kodandaram Reddy.

The message that the TJAC leaders received from the various districts and several leaders of associations of government employees was that employees, workers, lawyers, students, and teachers are not in a mood to take part in a militant movement. Even KCR, who is known to make sensational announcements in such meetings, remained subdued all through the meeting.

In a marked departure from the previous movement, which rejected day-to-day issues in favour of Telangana state, the TJAC, from now onwards will take up issues like the power crisis, price-rise and farmers' plight along with the issues of handloom weavers.

Apart from KCR and Kodandaram, the two-hour meeting was attended by BJP senior leaders Bandaru Dattatreya, New Democrary leaders Suryam.

T-JAC leaders V Srinivas Goud, K Swamy Goud, K Devi Prasad and C Vittal along with the leaders of JACs from across the region.

In a significant decision, the leaders decided to exempt the teaching and student community from any future agitations till the academic year ended. The meeting also felt that it would not be fair to ask state government, RTC and Singareni colleries employees to participate again in the movement. Since no other organization is available to carry forward the movement, the meeting decided to work to strengthen the district branches of the political JAC.

"The meeting is trying to formulate an action plan on Saturday to demonstrate that the movement would be revived again," sources told TOI. According to sources, small-scale protests would be organized here and there to keep alive the T-fire. On record, JAC convener M Kodandaram said the leaders would meet again on Saturday to finalize the action plan for JACs in the district.

He said the meeting adopted two resolutions - lifting of all cases against students and employees and scrapping of teacher eligibility test.