Police confront supporters of united Andhra Pradesh during a protest against the formation of Telangana state, in Kurnool district, some 200 kms from Hyderabad, on October 5
The union government's decision to create a new Telangana state has plunged other parts of Andhra Pradesh into emergency. Angry protests that have resulted in power cuts walloped the areas of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema today.
Here are the 10 big developments on this story:
Congress leaders and ministers from Seemandhra met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after many of them resigned to protest against Telangana. Chiranjeevi, who resigned as Tourism Minister, said, "The PM is yet to accept our resignation. He has asked for more time."
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy today told NDTV he did not rule out resigning if the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was pushed through. (Watch)
The port in Vishakhapatnam has been without power for nearly 14 hours. The city's steel plant has also been shut down and the airport is reportedly running on back-up power.
30,000 employees who work for state-run power plants are on strike. The power station at Vijayawada, which supplies Andhra Pradesh with a third of its electricity, is barely functioning. (Track Live Updates)
Power cuts swept through Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema today; the IT hub of Hyderabad was also affected. (Watch)
Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana have welcomed the plans to convert them into India's 29th state. Hyderabad will be the shared capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for the next 10 years, after which it will belong to Telangana.
The town of Vizianagaram in Coastal Andhra Pradesh has been under curfew since Saturday after it turned into the violent epicentre of the "United Andhra" protests. (Watch: the Seemandhra backlash)
The Centre claims that most political parties who are now opposing a Telangana state had earlier indicated their support for it. Chandrababu Naidu, head of the regional Telugu Desam Party or TDP, is among them. He arrived in Delhi today to begin an indefinite hunger strike and described the Centre's decision to divide Andhra Pradesh as "immoral." (Read: Chandrababu Naidu targets Sonia)
Whether to back statehood for Telangana is a major political quandary for virtually every party, including the ruling Congress. While Telangana is strategically vital, partly because of the booming IT economy of Hyderabad, leaders from Seemandhra say their voters will turn against them if Andhra Pradesh splits.
The Centre has indicated it will not change its mind. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh expressed surprise at what he called a u-turn by Jagan and Chandrababu Naidu. "Congress is a national party, how can it change its decision?" he said.
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