Telangana bandh

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's handling of the "chalo assembly" call given by pro-Telangana groups on Friday earned him a pat on the back from Union ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ghulam Nabi Azad. A bandh, called by Telangana Rashtra Samiti or TRS, to protest against the arrest of hundreds of its party workers during the "chalo assembly" march yesterday, also evoked a mixed response.

But Mr Reddy's own colleagues in the Congress say the party has little to cheer in Telangana. "Despite the arrangements, chalo assembly was a success. Can chief minister deny that?'' asked Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao.

The state government had managed to stop protesters by deploying nearly 20,000 security personnel and turning Hyderabad into a curfew zone. Despite that, there were pitched battles in several places including Osmania University in Hyderabad - the nerve centre of agitation for separate statehood for Telangana. 

The ruling Congress found itself politically isolated as the TRS was joined by practically all political parties and former Congress leaders in attacking the government.

"The government is behaving in an undemocratic manner. This is police repression of Telangana," said TRS leader and MP G Vivek.

The Congress is not just on the backfoot; it chances appear bleak in the Telangana region which has led to several of its leaders switching to other parties.

Indecision on the part of the Congress leadership on the Telangana issue has cost the party politically in the region. The use of force by the government during the recent 'chalo assembly' protest has only alienated them further. Now the Telangana Joint Action Committee has threatened to obstruct Congress leaders from campaigning in the villages for the gram panchayat polls due next month. 2014 is looking far from rosy for the Congress in Telangana.