Telangana NRI Association (TeNA), a registered non-profit multi-cultural organization working toward the development and cultural aspects of Telangana community in the US and abroad.
TeNA executive committee expressed their deep disappointment with the Congress-led Indian Government’s decision to further postpone the decision on Telangana violating the deadline set by the very honorable Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde after the all party meeting held on December 28th, 2012. Telangana people feel that they are once again deceived by the Indian Government after eagerly waiting for the January 28 deadline imposed by the government itself in the pretext more consultations. TeNA wants highlight that in the past 3 years there have been several all party meetings and exhaustive and comprehensive consultations took place taking opinions from all political parties and civic groups by Sri Krishna Committee. Congress party high command also went through an elaborate process of consultations with their own party leaders from both Telangana and Seemandhra. We feel that further consultations are unnecessary and these are simply delaying tactics to deny Tealngana people their long pending just demand of their own state.
TeNA appeals to the Congress party to honor and fulfill its decision announced on December 9, 2009. Then honorable Home Minister P. Chidambaram has announced to the media and in the parliament next day that the process for formation of Telangana state will be initiated. It is more than 3 years since this announcement was made and the government has not fulfilled its commitment made to Telangana people. For the past 3 years, the Telangana region has paid heavy price losing more than 1000 lives by committing suicides, mostly students and youth. There is no parallel to this tragic episode of Telangana people’s sacrifice and perseverance in the modern history of mankind. It is high time that the Congress-led UPA government take a quick decision on implementing its December 9, 2009 decision of de-merging Telangana from Andhra and restore its statehood. Telangana statehood movement has been one of the long pending democratic and just movement in modern India and TeNA wants to remind that Article (3) of the Indian constitution provides ample provisions for formation of the state by introducing a bill in the parliament and passing it by simple majority. With the unconditional support by BJP and several other parties Congress should have no problem in passing the Telangana state bill.
TeNA demands that the Telangana Congress public representatives and ministers to quit their posts and put pressure on their party high command. The people of Telangana have elected them hoping that they will fight for the aspirations of the people and not to act as cronies of their Andhra bosses. It is time for the Congress public representatives to decide on which side of the Telangana history they would like to choose.
We would like to convey that Telangana NRIs/diaspora throughout the world are united and support the ongoing peaceful movement for Telangana state. On our part we will be holding solidarity meetings across the United States in various cities.
Jai Telangana Jai Jai Telangana
Venkat Maroju
TeNA President