Telangana nod leads to domino effect, Sonia meets Andhra leaders

The central nod for Telangana triggered varied reactions, from jubilation to disbelief to angry resignations, and led to a domino effect with another regional faction demanding carving Andhra Pradesh up into three parts. Congress president Sonia Gandhi conferred with party leaders on the issue late Thursday night.

Sonia Gandhi called a high-level party meeting at her 10, Janpath residence to discuss the day's developments triggered by the Telangana issue. The meeting was attended by cabinet ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A.K. Antony, P. Chidambaram and M. Veerappa Moily, and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, sources told IANS.

According to the sources, the meeting reviewed the latest developments, including the resignation of some party MPs from Andhra Pradesh as well as legislators in the state. It was decided that Moily would meet these MPs and inform them of the high command's views.

Earlier in the day, 21 Andhra Pradesh Congress members of parliament from the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha met Gandhi at her residence in the aftermath of the government nod to a separate Telangana state.

Gandhi assured the upset party MPs from Andhra Pradesh that 'no injustice will be done' and views of all sections will be taken.

Not to be left behind on the statehood issue, politicians from Rayalaseema region Thursday demanded separate statehood for the backward region, saying they would agree to division of the state to create Telangana only if their demand for Greater Rayalaseema is acceded to.

Cutting across party lines, the leaders, including legislators from the ruling Congress, opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Praja Rajyam, made it clear that Andhra Pradesh could be divided only if their region was also made a separate state.

This would mean that the present state has to be divided into three states - Telangana, Greater Rayalaseema and Andhra.

'Andhra Pradesh should not be divided but if you are dividing it, form Greater Rayalaseema alongside Telangana and make coastal Andhra a separate state,' said T.G. Venkatesh, Congress legislator and convenor of the Forum for the Rights of Rayalaseema.

The people of Rayalaseema, comprising four districts, complain of backwardness and neglect by successive state governments. The people of the region are not ready to merge with Andhra in the event of formation of Telangana state.

The nod to Telangana spurred the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) into action in West Bengal. It said the government should also consider their demand for Gorkhaland and said it would launch protest programmes in support of its demand from Friday.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana promise plunged the state into political chaos after at least 93 legislators and many MPs, cutting across party lines, resigned to protest the central government's decision.

Assembly Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy told reporters that 93 legislators from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions and belonging to three parties have submitted their resignations to him.

As many as 53 legislators of the ruling Congress, 29 of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 11 of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) have submitted their resignation, he said.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement late Wednesday pledging to begin the process of forming a separate Telangana state led to wild scenes of celebration in the Telangana region and its main proponent, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K.Chandrasekhar Rao, calling off his 11-day fast.

Through his 11-day fast-unto-death supported by mass protests, the 55-year-old Rao, known as KCR to his followers, had achieved what other leaders from the region could not in five decades.

With the division, Andhra will be left with 13 districts - nine prosperous districts of coastal Andhra, and four backward districts of Rayalaseema region. Telangana has a population of about 35 million people while coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema will be left 40 million people.

In the home minister's view, the demand for a separate Telangana state in Andhra Pradesh showed how people feel neglected despite speaking same language.

When asked whether the accession to the demand would not set off a cascading effect in other parts of the country, he remarked cryptically: 'The US has one-third of our population still it has 50 states.'

The move found backing from other parties, including from the principal opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and BJP leader L.K. Advani Advani congratulated the government for agreeing to the demand for a separate Telangana state.

In Andhra Pradesh, slogans of 'Jai Telangana' rent the air as TRS workers, students and other sections of people in Telangana celebrated the victory through Wednesday night and right through Thursday.

Alarmed over the spate of resignations and protests, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah said the resolution on forming a Telangana state would be tabled in the assembly only after consultations.

Appearing to play down the enormity of the move, Rosaiah advised MPs and legislators not to get agitated over the issue and resign as the process of moving a resolution had not even started.

'If necessary, the resolution will be moved in the assembly. Even if such a situation arises, the resolution will be passed only if it gets majority support,' he told reporters.

'I don't think that the state will be divided immediately.'

The other prickly issue to be dealt with was Hyderabad. A section of leaders of the Congress and the TDP demanded that Greater Hyderabad become a union territory in view of the large number of 'settlers' from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions and other parts of the country.

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