Ministers appeal for end to strike

HYDERABAD: Promising to find a "political solution" to the statehood issue, Ministers hailing from Telangana today made a desperate appeal to striking government employees of the region to immediately call off the ongoing indefinite strike and restore normalcy in the state."All sections of people are badly suffering. Your aspiration (of a separate state) has been taken note of by the Government of India. Hence, please call off the strike and not let the state’s development derailed," veteran minister K Jana Reddy appealed to the employees after a meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here tonight.Besides Jana Reddy, ministers J Geeta Reddy, D K Aruna, D Sridhar Babu, Basavaraj Saraiah and P Sudarshan Reddy met the Chief Minister and discussed the situation arising out of the indefinite strike going on for 33 days now before deciding to make an appeal to the employees."Farmers, industrialists, students...all sections of people in Telangana are suffering badly because of the strike.The Congress high command has understood the aspirations of Telangana people. As political parties, we will now try to seek a political solution to the crisis. I am confident Telangana state will be formed. Hence, please end the strike," Jana Reddy appealed to the Employees Joint Action Committee.However, the JAC remained adamant on its stand stating that it would not give up until the union government came out with a clear announcement on creation of Telangana state, within a specific timeframe.