http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2008/10/21141752/Intellectuals-bat-for-Telangan.html
Intellectuals bat for Telangana cause UNI Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 AT 2:10 PM NEW DELHI: A group of intellectuals supporting the carving out of Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh are in Delhi lobbying for hastening the process of development in one of the most backward regions of the country. The Telangana Intellectual Forum headed by Prof P L Visveshwar Rao have met leaders of various political parties and impressed upon them that they should help the three and half crore Telangana people who have been 'kept suppressed' for five decades in the name of linguistic state. This was despite their clear eligibility for being a separate state on the basis of States Reorganisation Commission. Prof Rao said with the Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu giving up his rigid opposition to the creation of Telangana state and lending his support, it was time for the Andhra Pradesh assembly and Parliament to pass resolutions facilitating the creation of Telangana. It will be the 'biggest small state' in terms of population and geographical area. "We will be bigger than Assam and the North Eastern states, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand," he added. Creation of Telangana, he said, will be helpful to address the reservation grievance of SC castes because Telangana happened to have majority of Madiga caste. Major naxal outfits thrived on the support of marginalised and suppressed sections of people and once the state is created it would suck them to the mainstream, he reasoned. The Forum members will have discussion with leaders of various political parties seeking their support for creation of the new state which will be in the national interest, Prof Rao said.
