Order of events during the 1969 Agitation

Hyderabad: This article defines the different types of strikes and meeting held during the agitation back in history. This article is in continuation of the previous article on the 1969 agitation which aimed to spread awareness on the need to form a separate Telangana State. January 10, 1969: Potu Krishnamurthy, a leader of the job […]

Hyderabad: This article defines the different types of strikes and meeting held during the agitation back in history.
This article is in continuation of the previous article on the 1969 agitation which aimed to spread awareness on the need to form a separate Telangana State.
January 10, 1969: Potu Krishnamurthy, a leader of the job aspirants of KTPS, started an indefinite hunger strike in Palvancha demanding the removal of non-Mulkis from KTPS.
January 12, 1969 : The students of Osmania University held a meeting in support of Ravindranath’s fast and decided to organise a strike on January 15, 1969.

January 15, 1969: The strike conducted by the students association of Osmania University was very successful and complete and the association called for indefinite strike from January 16 onwards. AS Poshetti played an important role in organising these strikes. Poshetti who was the President of Vidhayarthi Parishad, stated that the government should stop behaving like a step mother to Telangana .
January 12, 1969: MLA Satyanarayana undertook a three day hunger strike in support of Ravindranath with a demand for implementation of safeguards.
During the same time Achyutha Reddy, former chairman of TRC and Chairman of the Estimates Committee, opposed the agitation and declared that it was not the right time to agitate about the Telangana Safeguards.
January 17, 1969: Agitation for implementation of safeguards formally commenced. A hunger strike was held in front of the secretariat under the leadership of K Venkata Ram Reddy the president of colleges union demanding implementation of safeguards for Telangana region. They opposed the demand for a separate Telangana State.
January 18 and 19, 1969: After the commencement of the agitation all the opposition parties threatened the government that they would directly participate in the agitation if the government does not respond and resolve the issue.
In order to stop the opposition from entering the agitation, the then Chief Minister Kasu Brahmananda Reddy organised an all party meeting on January 18 and 19, 1969 at his official residence “Ananda Nilayam”.

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Measures agreed on in the meeting.

• All employees appointed in violation of Mulki rules must be immediately removed from service and locals must be appointed in their place.

• Non-locals who are removed from service must be accommodated in Andhra region.

• Issue of fake Mulki certificates must be investigated into.

• If eligible candidates were not available amongst the locals for the posts reserved for locals, then the posts must be kept vacant till eligible candidates are available.

• The surplus funds of Telangana would be exclusively spent for the development of Telangana region in the next five years. For this purpose, in order to estimate surplus funds of Telangana a special officer of the rank of accountant general will be deputed. This special officer will be selected by the CAG.

• The Industrial Trust Fund constituted in the former Hyderabad state will be continued to be utilised for Telangana region only.

• Educational facilities in Hyderabad must be extended.

• In order to implement the decisions taken at all party meeting two senior officers could be appointed.

• The joint statement issued after all party meeting condemned for the creation of separate Telangana State.

Important signatories to this statement were:

• J Chokka Rao
• K Achyuta Reddy

• VB Raju
• Badhri Vishal Pitti

• Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi
• J Vengal Rao

• T Purushotama Rao
• Kakani Venkat Ratnam
• JV Narsing Rao

• Adige Ramaswamy
• Gowthu Lachhana

• Vavilala Gopala Krishnaiah
• K Laxman Bapuji

• K Brahmananda Reddy
K V Ranga Reddy and Marri Chenna Reddy did not participate in the meeting.

Deepika Reddy
to be continued