Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, has called for peaceful protests to meet the demand for a separate Telangana state.
Addressing a public meeting here on Sunday, Swaraj said: "We will not take the protest to the violent level. It should be carried on in a peaceful manner. But when we speak of violence that means that it should not be towards others but also towards oneself."
She also mentioned the suicide that took place in the Osmania University campus in the cause of Telangana and said it was not the way to voice one''s demand.
She urged the students and youths not to sacrifice their lives but to live and fight for the Statehood denied them for the last five decades.
"You should live to see your Telangana. Don''t end your lives," she said.
She cited various examples of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh that were carved out of bigger states with an objective of progress and development in the respective regions.
"Supporting Telangana does not mean that we are against Andhra Pradesh. But Telangana needs justice that is all what is our motto. Because, Telangana''s development took place in an imbalanced manner," she said.
Pro-Telangana activists have been agitating since December 23, after the central government went back on its promise.
The agitations have resulted in series of violent incidents in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, as well as some other parts of the state.
