The Joint Action Committee of Telangana employees, teachers and gazetted officers had on August 5 boycotted crucial talks with the Andhra Pradesh cabinet sub-committee over the proposed general strike from August 17, demanding withdrawal of certain orders invoking ESMA. The JAC also demanded an assurance from the government that ESMA would not be invoked against employees, as a pre-requisite for holding talks. It also wanted immediate withdrawal of para-military and security forces deployed in
government offices.

Gazetted officers of various universities in the region met in Hyderabad on Sunday and discussed ways to participate in the proposed strike from August 17. Some of the leaders of pro-Telangana employees unions attended the meeting. The JAC demanded an assurance from the govt that ESMA would not be invoked against employees. "Since the Telangana leaders have already quit their posts, our participation should be equally effective. We discussed about our participation," V Srinivas Goud, a leader of Telangana Gazetted Officers Association, told reporters. Taking exception to the government invoking Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the employees even as it invited them for talks, he said a congenial atmosphere should prevail for the talks to be held.

The JAC had served a notice on the government late last month threatening to go on an indefinite general strike from August 1 demanding apart from service-related issues, the creation of Telangana state. Subsequently, the strike was put off till August 17. However, the AP government employees and other people's organisations in Telangana region would launch their protests in support of the separate statehood demand, among others, from Monday. The government employees unions in Telangana would undertake protests like lunch-hour demonstrations and 'work to rule' from Monday and plan to intensify their stir in a phased manner.