Telangana resolution seekers will face contempt: TRS chief

Hyderabad, Dec 18 : Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K.Chandrasekhara Rao Friday threatened to file contempt of court cases against those demanding a resolution in Andhra Pradesh assembly for formation of a Telangana state.

A day after warning of a bloodbath if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government backtracked on its decision to carve out a separate state, KCR said no state assembly had jurisdiction over the division of a state, citing a verdict by the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court when Gujarat was carved out of Maharashtra.

"The apex court has made it clear that resolution in the assembly is not required for formation of a new state. From tomorrow if anybody says that resolution is required to be passed in the assembly for formation of Telangana state, I will file contempt of court case against him," warned KCR.

Senior central leaders of the Congress party and some ministers have been stating that the assembly has to pass a resolution to initiate the process for formation of separate state. Their statements came to mollify leaders in coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions who are protesting the proposed division of the state.

The TRS chief, whose 11-day fast forced the Congress-led UPA government to agree to the demand for a separate state, termed the agitation in Andhra and Rayalaseema as "the agitation of investors" who have vested interests in Hyderabad. He alleged that they were instigating people and playing with the future of students.

"How will a rickshaw-puller in Anantapur or a Dalit in some other district in Andhra be affected by the formation of separate Telangana? The common man in those regions has no objection," he claimed.

KCR predicted that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) would be wiped out in Telangana as party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu stood exposed. "Within 24 hours after (Home Minister P.) Mr Chidambaram's statement, Naidu showed his true colours," he alleged and challenged the former chief minister to declare his stand on the issue.

Naidu had promised to back the resolution on separate Telangana but after Chidambaram made a statement Dec 9, said the government took a decision without consulting anybody.

"Lakhs of Chandrababu Naidus and crores of other leaders can't stop formation of Telangana state. No force on earth can stop us," declared the TRS chief.