'This is the greatest day; it's time for Telangana to rise'

The credit for the creation of Telangana goes to those who laid down their lives for the state, activists tell Vicky Nanjappa

The students at Osmania University, who had become the face of the Telangana movement, are overjoyed at the passage of the Telangana Bill.

In fact, several of them had been camping in Delhi to await the passage of the Bill.

The Student’s Joint Action Committee, the force behind the protests at Osmania University, believes that “today is the greatest day”.

JAC leader Dr Sangam Prithviraj told Rediff.com, “I will not credit politicians for the creation of Telangana. I want to credit the students and all those who have lost their lives in this battle. It has been a struggle but we have protested peacefully. The people of Telangana never took the life of others. They only took their own lives.”

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“There is great responsibility before us to develop the state. With dedication and hard work, we are confident that we will make it a model state. We have been suppressed all these years. Now the time has come to rise and make Telangana a model state,” he said.

“It is time to celebrate. We will pay tribute to everyone who has laid down their life for the cause. The people of Seema-Andhra can rest assured that they will be safe as we do not believe in violence,” Prithviraj said.

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The Telanagana Bill is likely to be introduced soon in the Rajya Sabha.

If the Bill is defeated in the Rajya Sabha, the government will have no choice but to go back to the drawing board to redo the Bill.

If the Rajya Sabha passes the Bill, it will be presented to the President for his consent.

After receiving the President’s nod, a gazette notification will be issued, reportedly by February 21.

The entire process normally takes up to four months but it may take longer this time.

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Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, a staunch opponent of Telangana, is expected to resign on Wednesday.

The Congress can appoint a CM for two months, before the state heads to polls, and move for the dissolution of the assembly.

But the party is likely to recommend President’s rule in the state as the Lok Sabha elections are round the corner.

Once the bifurcation process is completed within six months, elections to the assemblies of Seema-Andhra and Telangana will be held separately.

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