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Yeddyurappa Resignation: Ashadam Comes in Way

Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa was asked to resign by his party in the wake of the Lokayukta indictment in illegal mining scam. A reluctant Yeddyurappa said that he will step down as per the party diktat, but only on Sunday (31-07-11). Along with Yeddyurappa, the Reddy brothers have been strongly indicted in his findings on illegal mining by the Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, which have plunged the state into a political turmoil. Yeddyurappa's indictment pertained to violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Lokayukta also submitted a copy of his report to Governor H R Bhardwaj recommending to him to initiate "further steps". In his first comments after the BJP asked him to step down, Yeddyurappa said he had toiled for 40 years to build the party in Karnataka from scratch and it was his 'committed desire' to work for its development in future also.  Stating that he is a disciplined worker of BJP, Yeddyurappa said he has decided to tender his resignation from the post of chief minister as per the direction of the party. "The month of 'Ashadam' (considered inauspicious) will be over on July 30. I will be tendering my resignation as Chief Minister on the forenoon of July 31," he said in a statement late last night.

Yeddyurappa-Gali Brothers Nexus: Lokayukta Report

Karnataka Lokayukta justice Santhosh Hegde's report on illegal mining in the state has not only cost BS Yeddyurappa his chief minister post, but also exposed how Gali brothers looted the state through their OMC and other mining companies. The report says that the state govt has completely failed in curbing illegal mining over the past several years. The unfair practice has resulted in illegal shipping of 2.98 crore metric tonnes of iron ore valued at whopping Rs 12,228 crore between 2006 and 2010. The 464-page report, which comprises observations and recommendations of Lokayukta justice Santosh Hegde, has 32 chapters. There are separate chapters on dubious financial transactions, involving Chief Minister Yeddyurappa and his family members,  the Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by Tourism Minister Janardhan Reddy, Matha Minerals of Housing Minister V Somanna, devious ways in which goons in Bellary used to mine and export iron ore, iron ore theft at Belekeri port and collapse of administration in Bellary. According to the report, the highest quantity of illegal export has been recorded in 2009-10 when 1.27 crore metric tonnes of iron ore mined in the State was exported. The investigative team, however, has not been able to trace the destination of 32.44 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore illegally exported during the four years. Iron ore exported from Goa ports has not been computed. Janardhan Reddy-owned OMC exported 71.61 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore from Karnataka though the company does not have any mining lease in the State. It has mining leases in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Ironically, the company exported only 2.17 lakh metric tonnes from its lease area in Andhra Pradesh between 2006 and 2010. As many as 83 exports of iron ore with a quantity of 17.58 lakh metric tonnes have been found in various ports after the government banned the export in July 2010.  Maximum exports were done from Krishnapatnam and Belekeri ports which are administered and managed by private companies. The report has details of all 83 exports. "This specific matter requires further investigation for finding out illegalities and persons responsible," the report stated. A large quantity of iron ore was transported to ports from lease areas without any permit or with forged permit between 2009 and 2010.      

Rise And Fall of Yeddyurappa

For a man who assumed the gods are always on his side, Bookanakera Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa or BSY, believed in the art of the possible and that no price is too high to stick on to power. Starting as a rice mill clerk, emerging as a farmer's leader and later becoming chief minister related stories of the BJP's first government in the south, BSY has seen many ups and down. But what he hadn't bargained for was an issue like illegal mining doing him in. His fears were always about land scams. Last November when the high command wanted him to quit after disclosures about his land gifts to his family, BSY deflected his seniors’ attention. He brought out a detailed report on how his predecessors, particularly his archrival HD kumaraswamy (JD-S) had gifted away state lands. Even in April, when a SC-appointed panel reported large-scale illegal mining in Karnataka damning the state government, BSY saw a silver lining. He could rein in dissidents, particularly the Reddy brothers whose area of operation, Bellary, figured prominently in the report. The "interim" report of the panel estimated that 304.91 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore worth more than R15,000 crore was exported from 2003-04 to 2009-10 without valid permits. In 2008, BSY had used the "act of betrayal" by Kumaraswamy for refusing to honour a 20-month pact on rotating the chief minister's post between them when his turn was over. Since then, BSY has managed to emerge a hero of the community by cultivating key Lingayat leaders, including their religious mutts, with the help of largesse from his government. Three months ago, BSY's stand was that he became chief minister only in 2008. His predecessors had a greater role in not checking illegal mining. Also, he was prevented from acting against the mining groups when the Reddy brothers triggered a rebellion, which was resolved under a deal brokered by central BJP leaders in 2009. Finally the report of Lokayukta Santosh Hegde knocked him out. For the first time, BSY and his family stood directly indicted. The report said a trust founded by them received Rs. 10 crore from a mining company and the firm "had purchased an acre of land for Rs. 20 crore" when it wasn’t worth more than Rs. 1.25 crore.  In November, when land scams broke, BSY declared that he won't quit. But the message on Wednesday night from Gadkari was decisive and he had to quit.    

Finally Yeddyurappa Resigns as Karnataka CM

Finally Karnataka Cief Minister B S Yeddyurappa decided to step down and sent his resignation to BJP chief Mr. Nithin Gadkari. Yeddyurappa was under pressure of the party after he was implicated in the illegal mining report given by the Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde. Sources said that Yeddyurappa sent his resignation to the party president Nithin Gadkari alongwith denotification of the land from which his family made profit proving to be the last nail in the coffin. In the morning today, the BJP's decision on Yeddyurappa was announced after a meeting of its top decision-making body, the parliamentary board.  The party's spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told "The BJP parliamentary board met at the residence of party president Nitin Gadkari and unanimously decided that there has to be a change in leadership in the BJP Legislative Party in Karnataka. Yeddyurappa has been asked to tender his resignation immediately. Party's senior leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh would go to Bangalore to work out on who will succeed Yeddyurappa.    

Kodandaram Losing Sheen in OU Campus

Professor M Kodandaram (some even call him 'the non-teaching professor') is gradually losing sheen in Osmania University campus. About 20 students led by Osmania University students joint action committee met Prof Kodandaram, and demanded that he consult them before deciding any student-related agitation including educational bandhs hereafter. The formal meeting saw a public demonstration of the growing resentment in the OU student community against Kodandaram, the political JAC chief, who is currently spearheading the T agitation. Moreover, several faculty members of the university, too, share the students’ feelings, sending out indications that Kodandaram is no longer seen as a respected leader as he was seen before on the Osmania University campus.   The students and the faculty members of OU say that the Telangana agitation is largely becoming TRS-driven under the guidance of Kodandaram. The groups that have come out in the open against the political JAC leader on the OU campus include People's Democratic Students Union (PDSU), Dalit and BC student unions, SC & ST Telangana Teachers Forum, Osmania University Teachers' Front and also some sections of the OU students' JAC. The students aver that the political JAC, which was formed after OU-JAC, has hijacked the agitation and is steering it towards what seems to be a 'T' stalemate. "In the most recent case, the political JAC called for an educational bandh and it wasn’t successful. The bandh was called without consulting the students’ unions on OU campus and other Telangana campuses," said M Krishank, the OU-JAC spokesperson. "We need to know who is taking decisions in the political JAC and why students and faculty members of OU are not being consulted before calling for bandhs," he added. Some of the faculty members of the university who are in fact part of Telangana political JAC are also not called for meetings and discussions, sources said. Sources said that the rift between Kodandaram and students is now widening on caste lines, particularly after the Harish Rao incident in Andhra Bhawan, New Delhi. Soon after television channels flashed images of Harish Rao slapping a Dalit staff member of Andhra Bhavan in New Delhi, the students in OU held a protest even as Kodandaram maintained that the incident could not be classified as a case of caste discrimination. The Harish Rao incident did not go down well with most SC students who have played a crucial role in the Telangana movement on OU campus.

T Cong Leaders to Meet Azad Again Today

The Telangana Congress group that is currently engaged in a formal dialogue with Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi, is again going to meet him today (27-07-11). In yesterday's meeting Mr Azad reportedly enquired with the leaders whether they could show him any "firm" or positive statement either by the Congress or the government on Telangana. The T group leaders showed him the policy statement of the late CM YS Rajaselhar Reddy on February 12, 2009 made on the floor of the House declaring, "Government of AP in principle is not against the formation of T-state." Mr Azad asked the leaders about every statement that was made on Telangana and what followed each time a statement was made. He also sought information on sharing of state revenues, liabilities in the event of division of state including sharing of river waters and electricity. The T group has promised to give him a powerpoint presentation on Wednesday morning, during the second round of talks. When the issue of sharing of revenues, etc. came up for discussion, Mr Azad also sought their opinion on status of Hyderabad. The leaders told him in one voice that they have no objection if there is a common capital for both the states for a long time till Seemandhra state people build their own capital. Mr Azad also pointed out the objections of Seemandhra people that Hyderabad accounted for 56 per cent of the total revenues of the state, and they want a pro rata share of revenues generated from Hyderabad to Seemandhra state in case of bifurcation. Seemandhra people's contention was that Hyderabad's enviable revenues was due to them. This argument was turned down by the T-Congress group who told Mr Azad that only seven per cent of Seemandhra people lived in Hyderabad. "When Andhra people left Madras, was there any share provided from Madras revenues?" the T group asked.    

Home Minister P Chidambaram Clarifies Telangana Tangle

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while clarifying on the contentious Telangana tangle said that political parties in Andhra Pradesh must help the Centre find a solution to the Telangana issue. But they are divided and a solution cannot be thrust down their throats. "This is a unique situation where political parties in Andhra Pradesh are divided down the middle. Congress, Telugu Desam, CPI, CPI(M) are all divided. The only party which claims to be undivided is BJP because it has only one member," he said. "The political parties were divided and we cannot thrust the solution down the throats of political parties who represent the people," he said. Chidambaram also said so far as the Congress party was concerned, the effort was to unite the party and find a solution that was acceptable to all Congress MPs and MLAs. This was what was being tried by his colleague and Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. "The other parties must all do the same thing. For example, Telugu Desam must try to do the same thing. Unite all Telugu Desam members to find an agreed solution. It is easy to say you have not found a solution but anyone who tells us we have not found a solution has no solution either," he said. Asked about some critics accusing him of "going back" on the promise of Telangana, the Minister said the government took a position as the Home Ministry and as Home Minister I made the statement on behalf of the Government on December 9, 2009 and then when protests broke out in other parts of Andhra Pradesh, Government reconsidered the matter and revised its position and I made the second statement on December 23, 2009. "I was speaking on behalf of the Government. So if it is anyone's case that the Home Minister can unilaterally or withdraw an announcement, one must be very naïve to think so," he said.  

Samaikyandhra Round Table Meeting at Tirupathi

In view of the ongoing Telangana tangle, a round table conference was held at Tirupathi by seemandhra peoples representatives and intellectuals under the aegis of Samaikyandhra Parirakshana Samithi on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by TDP's Payyavula Keshav, S Chandrasekhar Reddy, PCC secretary Naveen Kumar Reddy, several MLAs, university professors and advocates. The speakers in the meeting stressed on the necessity of Andhra Pradesh remaining united. They said that state can achieve all round development only when it remains un-divided. TDP leader Payyavula Keshavulu said "When the Congress high command has already indicated to its Telangana leaders that they have to remain united for another 100 years to come, then what is the use in asking for a separate state." He suggested his Telangana counterparts to try for some appropriate packages instead of struggling for separation. He gave example of the recent Gorkhaland agreement and suggested them to opt for similar settlement.    

Telangana Tangle: The Name Game Starts

Gone are the days when Shakespeare said "What's in a name!" But pro-Telangana activists say that everything lies in the name alone, even if the name isn't officially declared yet. Conventionally, a state is formed first and then a name is given to it. What should we do, when formation of state gets delayed? "Let's first form a name, the state will come sooner or later" - seems to be the logic working nowadays. Call it wishful thinking or daring the powers-that-be. In many parts of Telangana, it is renaming with a vengeance that is being carried out by pro-Telangana groups. As though throwing a challenge to the government that if you are not going to give us a legal identity of our choice, we are going to embrace it, and if not force it, anyways. With this, Andhra Bank has now become Telangana Bank, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has been rewritten as Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TGTDC). Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is now Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC). Andhra Bhavan hotel has become Telangana Bhavan hotel. From eateries to government offices, even number-plates on vehicles are proudly showing off the 'AP' cut-out and replacing it with a TG. The government doesn't seem to be in a mood right now to take action to curb this kind of insolence. There are more urgent worries that need its attention, After all, its own ministers and MLAs in Telangana are on a warpath, defying the leadership at the state and even the Centre. So even if rewriting history may not be so easy, this is perhaps an attempt to write out the road to a dream destination.  

Seemandhra activists Oppose Vijayawada T-meet

Thanks to politicians for flaring up passions, people of both the regions of Seemandhra and Telangana are drifting apart day by day. A first-of-its-kind attempt to initiate an open debate by the protagonists of separate Telangana at Vijayawada ended amidst uproar and strong protests by those fighting for united Andhra cause on Sunday. In Khammam district, Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal faced angry protests from T-activists when he was on his way to Bhadrachalam to attend a private function. Despite police denying permission for the round-table conference proposed by the 'Two states for Telugu people' group at a private function hall, organisers of the meeting reached the Press Club and started the proceedings. Ruling Congress MP G V Harsha Kumar and poet Goreti Venkanna, who were to attend the meeting, abstained after police refused permission. However, the proposed meeting at the Press Club was also abandoned even before it started as the Samaikhyandhra JAC activists headed by Kolanukonda Sivaji reached the venue and staged protests. With both the groups sticking to their guns, tension prevailed for over an hour. Sivaji alleged that some Congress leaders were working as `agents' of Telangana leaders and helping them organise the meetings in coastal districts. He warned that such meetings would not be allowed on the soil of Seemandhra. Jai Andhra co-convener and BJP state council member G Chittibabu, however, said that SCs, STs and BCs in coastal Andhra wanted the state to be bifurcated as it would help the communities' development. Even as the sloganeering continued, police intervened and dispersed the groups.

TRS MLAs Re-submit Resignations Through Fax

Demanding separate Telangana state, legislatures of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) today submitted their resignations o Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker. The speaker has already rejected the resignations of over 100 lawmakers from the region. The TRS lawmakers faxed their resignations to the office of the speaker. With this, the number of MLAs who have quit since Sunday rose to 15. Four rebel legislators of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) tendered their resignations Sunday. The TRS, meanwhile, cautioned the Congress and the TDP representatives against backing out from tendering their resignations again. Party MLA K Tarakarama Rao asked all Telangana ministers to take the lead and submit their resignations to the governor immediately.    

Telangana Cong Delegation Reached Delhi

A delegation of the Telangana Congress leaders, who resigned from their elected posts in the first week of this month, has reached New Delhi on Monday for talks with party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad. The 12-member team, constituted by the steering committee, will meet Azad at 7 p.m. today. The talks assume significance in view of the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker rejecting resignations of 101 legislators from Telangana. Committee chairmen K. Keshava Rao and K. Jana Reddy, MPs Madhu Goud Yaskhi, G. Sukhender Reddy, Manda Jaggannatham, Rajaiah, K. Rajagopal Reddy and Vivek and state minister Geeta Reddy are among the leaders who will participate in the talks. AICC General Secretary Gulam Nabi Azad, who is in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, has invited the leaders to make their proposal to resolve the issue. He already had preliminary talks with them last Friday in which the Congress MPs and legislators have already made it clear that they would not accept any alternative to a separate Telangana state, and demanded the leadership to initiate the process for the same. While Tealangana leaders are looking for an assurance during the crucial meet, Azad on his part has already stated that a decision on Telangana would be taken only after talks with the leaders of all regions of Andhra Pradesh. He hinted that the consultation process may take two months. The steering committee is likely to take a decision on the issue after talks with Azad. At the two meetings held at Hyderabad on Sunday to chalk out future course of action, differences cropped up among Congress leaders. While one section felt they should immediately submit their resignations again, other said they should wait for two months as the leadership is holding talks on the issue. Some leaders also suggested that they should submit their resignations to Azad instead of the assembly speaker to give a clear message that while they are committed to a separate state, they don't want to defy the leadership.          

T Congress Resignations Draw Flak

The Telangana tangle is getting complicated for the Congress Party both in state as well as at the Centre. Goaded by TRS and TJAC, The Telangana region congress leaders have submitted their resignations in a bid to put pressure on the party high command and also the central government to take speedy decision towards carving out a separate Telangana state. Now the resigned Congress leaders are in a fix as neither the Speaker accepted their resignations nor the high command took a forward step in speeding up the separation process. On the other hand, Telugu Desam Telangana Forum is raising a hue and cry that the region's Congress leaders had struck a deal with the party high command on the resignations issue and TRS is proposing for re-submission of en masse resignations once again. Even within the Congress, some leaders expressed the possibility of Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao and Jana Reddy having agreed for the bail-out during their meeting with Azad last week. With this, the Telangana Congress leaders are not able to decide whether to tag along TRS again or to wait till high command takes a decision pertaining to Telangana issue. To find a way to ease out from the situation, the ruling party leaders met on Sunday but were divided over their next course of action. Of the 10-odd Telangana Congress MPs and MLAs that met at panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy's residence in the evening, some advocated submitting the quit letters to the party high command, while another group wanted to give the resignations again to the assembly Speaker's office. However, the sources say, final decision would be taken only after the T Congress steering committee meets Azad in Delhi on Monday.

Samaikyandhra Agitation is Gaining Momentum

With the latest political developments taking place at Hyderabad and Delhi, the samaikyandhra agitation for a United Andhra is gaining momentum in the seemandhra region. Large scale protests by samaikyandhra JAC and the students took place today at Guntur, Bapatla, Visakhapatnam, Ananthapuram, Ongole and several other places.        

TDP Dayakar Rao Blames TRS For Activists' Suicides

Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao on Saturday alleged that provocative speeches and the frequent false assurances by Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders was instrumental in driving young people of Telangana region to resort to suicides. "They are giving false hopes to the people, only to be dashed by the delay in the formation of the state. This is the primary reason behind the students resorting to suicides," the TDP leader stated. Dayakar Rao said that TRS MLA Harish Rao is playing cheap gimmicks and resorting to dead-body politics, only to gain political mileage. Assaulting an employee of AP Bhavan is a despicable act on part of Harish. If he is valient enough and really wanted Telangana state to be formed, he should have sat in dharna with Yadi Reddy's body in front of Sonia Gandhi or Pranab Mukherji's house demanding a separate state.    

AP Bhavan Incident Blown up by Seemandhra: KTR

A 30 year old man hailing from Telangana, Yadi Reddy, who was apparently upset over the delay in formation of separate Telangana state, committed suicide near Parliament Bhavan on Wednesday. On hearing the news, several senior leaders of TRS party rushed to Delhi to pay homage to the dead Telanganaite. The leaders wanted to keep Yadi Reddy's body in AP Bhavan for sometime. The body of Yadi Reddy was not brought to AP Bhavan, but was directly taken to the Airport by the Delhi Police. Enraged by this, TRS MLA Harish Rao assaulted AP Bhavan OSD Ramachandra Rao. It is said that daughter of Ramachandra Rao and a media person, Vandana was also manhandled by the TRS leaders. There had been a lot of furor among the employees of AP Bhavan, who later on staged protest against the violent TRS leaders. A complaint under the SC/ST Act and several other sections had been filed with the Tilak Marg Police against the three TRS leaders. The behaviour of TRS leaders, particularly Harish Rao's, was severely condemned by one and all throughout the country. Employees unions and SC/ST associations also sought the government to punish the three TRS leaders. The incident was vastly covered by the media and it received abomination from all quarters. In spite of people's abhorrence, the TRS leaders doesn't seem to be affected by repentance. Instead, the future face of TRS party - KCR's son - K T Ramarao described the incident as mere "Unintentional and stray incident that got blown up because of the Seemandhra media".  

22 July Telangana Bandh Passed Off Peacefully

Barring few incidents of violence, the day-long bandh called by the Telangana political Joint Action Committee, has passed off peacefully. More than 600 protesters were on Friday taken into preventive custody in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh for staging protests. According to Director General (Law and Order) M Ratan, police took 638 persons into custody to prevent disturbances and to maintain normalcy and registered 41 cases under 151 CrPC (preventive arrests). The agitators resorted to road blockades at 162 places, 58 incidents of effigy burning, 94 dharnas and rallies at 64 places were reported. "Few sporadic incidents of unlawful assembly, pelting of stones, causing inconvenience and nuisance to the general public, closing of petrol bunks, schools, boycotting of courts in some areas of Telangana districts was also observed. The situation is under control, without any major incidents," Ratan said. The bandh call was given on Thursday by T-JAC against the state government's refusal to allow Telangana leaders pay homage to M Yadi Reddy, who allegedly committed suicide in Delhi. Reddy was apparently upset over the delay in formation of separate Telangana state. Reddy was apparently upset over the delay in formation of separate Telangana state.  

Yadi Reddy Last Rites at Peddamangalaram

The body of Mandadi Yadi Reddy, who hanged himself near Parliament on Wednesday, was airlifted to the city on Thursday evening. Reddy's body was taken in an ambulance to his native village Peddamangalarm. Police arrested scores of Telangana supporters who were on their way to the airport to receive his body. After arresting the media personnel and activists, police quickly transported the body via Srisailam Road, Tukkuguda, ORR and APPA to Pedamangalaram in Moinabad. JAC is also protesting the state's attempts to curb the right of the employees to go on strike. Educational institutions, shops and business establishments remained closed on Friday. Yadi Reddy's suicide was the fifth suicide in the region since June when the movement got a new thrust. His last rites of are being performed at his native village Peddamangalaram today.         Yadi Reddy Last Journey In His Native Place       Telangana Leaders Response On Death Of Yadireddy       CM Kiran Condolence On Yadi Reddy's Death  

Telangana Bandh 22 July - Latest Videos

Buses of the state-owned Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off the roads on Friday as a daylong shutdown called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) hit normal life here and in nine other districts of Telangana. The JAC, which is spearheading the movement for a separate state of Telangana, has called the shutdown to protest the state government refusing to allow Telangana leaders to pay homage to M. Yadi Reddy who committed suicide in New Delhi on Wednesday. The shutdown began on a violent note in the state capital here as protestors damaged about 20 buses on the outskirts early morning, forcing APSRTC authorities to suspend all the services. Drivers and conductors of APSRTC buses coming here from Guntur were injured when protestors pelted stones in LB Nagar. Eight buses were damaged at Bowenpally in Secunderabad while a private vehicle was targeted at Jeedimetla, police said. The incidents forced APSRTC to suspend all the services to and from here. City services were also suspended, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. Schools and colleges declared a holiday as a precautionary measure. Petrol bunks and shops were also closed. This is the second shutdown in Telangana this month. The earlier two-day shutdown happened July 5-6.       T bandh Effect - Breaks for APSRTC in T Region     Telangana Bandh Continues In Warangal