Hyderabad, January 7
Congress leaders from Telangana today said they are ready to quit their posts if the Bill for formation of separate Telangana is not introduced in the budget session of Parliament. “If the Bill is not introduced in the coming budget session of Parliament, we will be compelled to quit," Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Jupally Krishna Rao told reporters after a meeting of party MPs, ministers, MLAs and MLCs here. He replied in the affirmative when asked if the decision was unanimous.

Krishna Rao also announced his personal decision to undertake fast unto death if the Bill is not introduced in Parliament. “We have confidence in our leader Sonia Gandhi. We believe that she would keep the promise made to the people of Telangana,” he said.

Asserting that the Constitutional safeguards suggested by the Sri Krishna committee would not be acceptable to the four crore people of Telangana, Krishna Rao said only a separate state would be accepted. “It is unfortunate that the Srikrishna committee made such recommendation. The committee said the demand for separate Telangana is not at all wrong," he said.

Meanwhile, groups of students supporting demand for Telangana allegedly pelted the police with stones again today at Osmania University campus. Following the Telangana bandh call given by the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee (TSJAC), the protesting students tried to hold a rally at the varsity campus and hurled stones when police stopped them, a police officer said.

The police had to lob teargas shells to disperse students, he said. Students had clashed with police at the varsity campus yesterday too, after the report of the Justice Srikrishna Committee on Telangana issue was made public. Pro-Telangana activists today held huge rallies and formed human chains in Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal, Nalgonda, Medak and Nizambad districts of Telangana region and burnt copies of the committee report. — PTI