Tone down stir, T-activists told

Dec. 24: The Pradesh Congress Committee secretary, Mr Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, urged leaders of the Telangana region to tone down their agitation to avoid President's rule in the state.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said, “We respect the Telangana culture and sentiments related to a separate state. There is a need for a debate between all concerned as suggested by the Centre to find a lasting solution to the statehood issue.”
He thanked party cadres and general public for their support to the two weeklong agitation for a united state. He urged everyone to avoid celebrations as it would hurt the feelings of people of the Telangana.
Meanwhile, the indefinite and relay hunger strikes disappeared overnight, following the statement of Mr Chidambaram on Wednesday giving a relief to police.
“We were under a lot of pressure from higher ups to deal firmly with agitators damaging government properties. Fortunately there was hardly any incident in the district and the protesters adopted peaceful methods during demonstrations all the while,” a senior police officer said.
Although they could not operate services to the Telangana districts on Thursday, RTC officials also appeared relaxed.