Telangana JAC sans Congress not weak, says Kodandaram

(Courtesy : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/telangana-jac-sans-congress-not-weak-says-kodandaram/583914/0)

The Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the separate Telangana agitation, on Wednesday said the exit of the the ruling Congress has not weakened its movement.

"Non-party forums have been playing a leading role in the movement. Congress leaders were confined to lobbying in Delhi. It helped to some extent. But the absence of Congress would not make much of a difference as far as the movement is concerned," JAC Convener C Kodandaram said here.

He said the Telangana agitation was initiated by non-party forums in 1996 and the movement got a push with the formation of TRS in 2001 and parties like BJP supporting it.

"The non-party forums were revived after 2004 and they are playing a creative and major role," he said.

The exit of the Congress from the JAC, he said, would give a clear direction to the pro-Telangana agitation and actually help strengthen the movement with other parties and non-party forums playing an effective role, he said. Kodandaram said the JAC decided to boycott the Srikrishna committee as it cannot rely on it, as a political decision has to be taken on the demand for Telangana.