Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and Union Minister for Labour K Chandrasekhar Rao declared on Thursday that the time had come for his party to decide whether to continue in the United Progressive Alliance coalition or not.

Speaking to media persons in New Delhi after a meeting with UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi [Images], Chandrasekhar Rao said that he had brought Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's remarks opposing a separate Telangana state to her notice.

"She told me not to take such utterances seriously and assured that the UPA was seized of the matter," he said.

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It may be recalled that Dr Reddy, in his speech at the National Integration Council meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, rubbished the demand for a separate Telangana state. "Long after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines and other parameters, we have on and off been hearing demands for the formation of more states," he said.

Dr Reddy stated that it was for the intellectuals of the country to ponder whether the division of India into more and more smaller states in the name of development of backward areas was conducive to national integration.

Chandrasekhar Rao said he was also meeting the leaders of UPA partners, 'since the kind of statements that Dr Reddy is making on Telangana issue is a cause of concern and unacceptable to us'.

He said that from day one of the formation of the UPA government, he had been saying that there was a limit to his patience. "If Telangana is not formed or attempts are made to delay the issue further, then we will launch a mass agitation not only in Andhra Pradesh, but also all over the country and continue the struggle till Telangana is achieved," he warned.

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He pointed out that he had a detailed meeting with Sonia. The TRS had given sufficient time and cooperated with the UPA by all means.

"Now, it is high time the UPA takes a decision on Telangana issue. The demand for separate Telangana state has been on for the last five decades. The movement continued, sometimes on a low key, sometimes in a high pitch."

"We have explained our demand to the entire country. At least 26 parties have extended support to us and they have intimated their stand to the UPA sub-committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee, which was formed to look into this issue. We have full faith that after all these parties and leaders supported our cause, a decision on the Telangana issue won't be delayed further. We are sure that Telangana would be formed," he added.

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Rao said he had sought central intervention on the naxalite issue and that Sonia was very sympathetic. She felt that the naxalite problem not only pertained to Andhra Pradesh, but some other states of the country. She also promised that she would take up the matter with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images].

"I, as Telangana movement leader, have made it clear, not once but a thousand times that bloodshed should be avoided. Why should blood-whether that of policemen, naxalites or ordinary people -- spill in our region? The killings are no solution to this problem. Only through a dialogue, the issue can be sorted out. We appeal to both the sides not to use the guns to settle scores. Only the common man is caught in the crossfire," he said.

The issue, he said, could not be treated as a law and order problem. It had socio-economic dimensions which needed to be tackled.

"In a democracy, you cannot crush any movement. N Chandrababu Naidu [Images], former chief minister, tried to curb the naxalite movement with an iron hand. But his policy failed. To follow in his footsteps is wrong," he added, pointing to the hardline stand adopted by the Congress government in the state now."

"The re-imposition of the ban on naxalites by the Andhra Pradesh government is not a correct approach. The common man is subjected to lot of harassment. As many as 200 to 300 villagers are called to the police stations and beaten up to elicit information on naxalites."

"In Telangana region, where Naxalism prevails, even if a minor incident occurs, all the young men desert their village to escape police harassment and this has caused migration of many youths," he observed.

This problem, he said, could be solved by eradicating poverty and ensuring the welfare of Dalits, Girijans (tribals) and backward classes.

"We in the TRS have been saying this for the last four years. We have told the Andhra Pradesh government and since it did not listen to us, we have pulled out from that government. As a responsible political party, it is our duty to bring these facts to Sonia and Dr Singh," he added.

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He totally opposed the Andhra Pradesh government's move seeking additional forces like Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force and helicopters for combing operations.

"If Andhra Pradesh government is a democratic one and wants to do something good for the people, it should seek additional (financial) resources rather than para-military forces. For eradicating poverty, you need additional resources, not additional forces. By tackling the socio-economic issues only, a solution could be found to naxalite problem. There is no other way of solving it," he said.

For the last 35 years, the Andhra Pradesh government had been treating this movement as a law and order issue, but the situation got from bad to worse.

"We are telling the Centre not to treat this as a state subject. We have requested them to intervene and not be a spectator to the whole issue," he said.

"For 35 years, this problem is persisting and thousands of people are forced to leave their districts. They don't enjoy human rights. It is the responsibility of the central government to ensure that the people are saved from these hardships," he remarked.

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