Telagnana NGO leaders have been making pompous threats about ‘paralyzing’ administration again. However, they themselves seem to a little unconvinced of their own bravado. Their talk about impending agitation soon after Sankranthi is reportedly more to do with saving their own skin rather than taking on the might of the government once again.
Even though the TNGO leaders including Swamy Goud and Srinivas Goud, who are currently very cozy with KCR, have been talking tough, the government seems to be very cold. The reason is that TNGO leaders are in no state to ask their comrades to join in one more strike after the prolonged fiasco last September.
The TNGOs lost heavily during the extended strike (sakala janula samme) in terms of salaries, increments, and service records. Even retirement benefits were not released to those employees who were part of the strike, which the government declared illegal. The failure of the leaders to ensure that the employees got their due is simmering.
The Kiran Kumar Reddy government is playing hard by not moving an inch on its stated position of paying salaries in tune with ‘no-work no-pay’ policy. Meanwhile, the TNGO leaders including both Gouds were publicly assured of cabinet portfolios in future Telangana by KCR recently. No wonder, the TNGOs are not too happy with the way events have been unfolding.
It is in this backdrop that these leaders are making noises, without specifically declaring that they will strike work. They are also very clear about the purpose of their proposed ‘agitation’. It is to secure the benefits due to the employees, and not in the cause of separate Telangana.
Separate state is no more an agenda for TNGO leaders in the changed circumstances, though they would continue to talk about it in public.
