Role of Telangana Praja Samithi in the agitation
Hyderabad: This article is in continuation to the last article focusing on the Jai Telangana Movement (1969-70), which is one of the important topics for the government recruitment examinations. As the movement gathered momentum, the Telangana People’s Convention was converted into Telangana Praja Samithi (TPS) on March 25, 1969, and Madan Mohan became its first […]
Hyderabad: This article is in continuation to the last article focusing on the Jai Telangana Movement (1969-70), which is one of the important topics for the government recruitment examinations.
As the movement gathered momentum, the Telangana People’s Convention was converted into Telangana Praja Samithi (TPS) on March 25, 1969, and Madan Mohan became its first president.
Subsequently, a Joint Action Committee of employees and teachers was formed under the leadership of KR Amos, the employee leader. They decided to work together with TPS and the Students Action Committee.
In the course of the movement, TPS president Madan Mohan was replaced by Marri Chenna Reddy. The TPS intensified the agitation with multiple activities like processions, hartals, bandhs, and mass Satyagrahas. The mass upsurge led to violent incidents and police resorted to prohibitive orders, lathi charge and firing on the agitators.
The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad witnessed police firing at Jamai Osmania Railway Station and Secunderabad, in which more than 10 people, mostly students, died. Important towns like Warangal, Khammam, and Karimnagar also witnessed large-scale participation of students and employees in the movement.
The movement gained the support of political leaders, including the Andhras (NG Ranga and K Pattabhi Ramayya) and drew national attention. The Telangana issue was also raised in the Parliament. It gained support of political parties such as Swatantra, Republican Party, Socialists, Naxalites, but the Left parties, CPI and CPM, opposed it.
It is interesting to note that women leaders Sangem Laxmibai, Sumitra Devi, Sadalaxmi and Eshwaribai actively participated in the movement. Indeed, Sadalaxmi, as president of TPS, led the movement when Chenna Reddy was replaced. She also presided over a meeting of Telangana Peoples Convention held in Reddy Hostel and mobilised resources for the movement by selling her jewellery. The other prominent leader was Konda Laxma Bapuji, who resigned his ministership in support of the movement. He was the first Minister to resign and founded Telangana Congress Samithi in order to fight for the formation of separate Telangana. The widespread support strengthened the movement and it completely paralysed the government.
As per the call given by the Students Action Committee, students all over Telangana boycotted classes on January 15. Even the school students also joined the strike and came out of the classrooms.
Students took out a big procession from Nizam College, which culminated in a very huge public meeting in Kothi. Mallikarjun, Dr. M Sridhar Reddy, Puli Veeranna, Gopal and many other student leaders delivered emotional speeches in the meeting. Students who gathered there burnt the effigies of the all 9 Telangana Ministers towards the end of the meeting.
Nizam College happened to become the centre for the students group whose demand was separate Statehood for Telangana, and the Viveka Vardhani College, which was situated in Koti, turned out to be the headquarters for the group that supported the safeguards movement.
The Separatist group took out another procession on January 16 from Nizam College to Secretariat and staged a dharna continuously for many hours. They burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister. The safeguards group took out another procession on the same day from Viveka Vardhani College to Nizam College and the procession ended with burning of effigies of the Telangana Ministers.
To be continued…
