After setting a March 6 deadline for the UPA to begin the process of carving out a separate Telangana, the TRS’s campaign gained momentum on January 26 when several MLAs handed over their resignation letters to K Chandrasekhar Rao at the Telangana Bhavan after the flag-hoisting ceremony. This was followed by campaigns across the Telangana region by the TRS in support of a separate state.

On February 23, nine TRS MLAs were suspended for two days when they raised slogans in the Assembly after their notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the Telangana issue was disallowed by the Speaker. For the last one week, the TRS has been holding demonstrations or road shows at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in support of their demand.

However, political observers say the political drama in the last two months, culminating in Monday’s resignations, has not invigorated the Telengana movement. In 2004, the TRS had formed an alliance with the Congress and contested the 2004 Assembly elections, winning 26 seats. The Congress held out a promise of a separate Telengana state while the TRS rode on fighting for separate statehood. While the issue remained in the limbo for four years, the TRS has stepped up its campaign again with both general and Assembly elections in 2009.

The history of TRS

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was formed in 2000 with the agenda to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh, constituting Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Warangal districts. Chandrashekhara Rao, a member of the Telugu Desam Party till 2000, formed the TRS with five Lok Sabha members.

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