Hyderabad:
What happens to Andhra Pradesh capital Hyderabad if a decision is taken today to bifurcate the state to create a new Telangana state?
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS, which has spearheaded the movement for a separate state in the last few years, has warned that the ruling Congress will face "severe resistance" if Hyderabad is made a shared capital for the two states.
(Telangana likely to be announced India's 29th state today) TRS leader KT Rama Rao has also warned that the option of including two districts from the Rayalaseema region in the new Telangana state, which the Congress leadership is said to be weighing, is not acceptable to his party.
"Let us see what they announce. We are optimistic. But then it is the Congress so we are a bit skeptical as well," Mr Rama Rao said, alluding to the several times that a decision on Telangana has seemed imminent but then the Centre has pulled back.
Which state will get Hyderabad, with its booming economy powered largely by the IT industry, has been a contentious issue for long. The Congress' solution, say sources, is to make it a shared capital.
(Telangana: Two options, careful strategy and a historic decision)The five-decade struggle for a Telangana state was forced on to the contemporary national agenda in 2009 by K Chandrasekhara Rao, KT Rama Rao's father and chief of the TRS. He fasted for 10 days, triggering huge rallies of support.
In response, in December 2009, in a surprise announcement, the Centre said it was sanctioning statehood. But within days, the government backtracked as violent protests erupted in the other two regions-Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema