Andhra Assembly adjourned, protests spread

New Delhi: MLAs chanted slogans for a 'United Andhra' on Monday, as the Andhra Assembly reconvened - and adjourned sine die - after the weekend recess. The Speaker held a meeting with Chief Minister K Rosaiah and other senior ministers.

Earlier, Lagadapati Rajagopal, the Congress MP from Vijaywada, was taken into preventive custody as he arrived in Hyderabad. Rajagiopal, who resigned in protest against a new Telengana state, had threatened to go on hunger strike. (Read: Congress MP L Rajagopal in preventive custody)

Andhra Pradesh's Congress unit faces a crisis as almost half its MLAs have resigned in protest over the Telangana issue. All of Sunday was spent on how to defuse the political crisis that has divided the people and politicians of the state. Congress Ministers and MLAs have now been ordered to stop embarrassing central party leadership and not resign en masse, even as the party works on reconciliation.

Chief Minister K Rosaiah is meeting the MLAs and Ministers in an attempt to convince them to take back resignations. On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief D Srinivas too urged the MLAs to withdraw their resignations or else the state will spiral into a crisis. The APCC president said, "MLAs must withdraw resignations to avert constitutional crisis."

Now, in a move to build pressure some Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs in coastal Andhra Pradesh have also gone on hunger strike just the way the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief did.

Meanwhile, PRP chief Chiranjeevi has met the Andhra Pradesh chief minister and asked him to ensure peace in the state.

So far, 135 MLAs have sent their resignations to the Speaker in a 294-member Assembly. Of these, 79 are from the Congress, 42 from the TDP and 16 from Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).

Vijayawada MP L Rajagopal, who had resigned over the Telangana issue, has said, "All 225 congress MLAs will oppose the resolution in the Assembly. Andhra will speak in one voice. Telangana means region of Telugu speaking people. We don't want to weaken the Telugu speaking states," he added. (Watch: Knit India, don't split India')

Maoists back Telangana

Now Naxals who have a strong presence in the Telangana region have also openly come out in support of a separate Telangana state.

Speaking to NDTV, Maoist leader Kishanji said they fully support a separate Telengana state. He also said that Hyderabad should be the capital of Telengana and called the resignation of Congress MPs and MLAs a drama.

Earlier the police had said that Naxals had penetrated the Telangana movement through students and other sympathizers. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister too said that "anti-social elements" had joined the movement.

Rosaiah under pressure

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah has completed 100 turbulent days in office presiding over a Cabinet that is virtually split down the middle. Pressure is mounting on the chief minister, even though he says he was against moving a resolution on Telangana in the state Assembly and that the Centre had paid no attention to his warning. But the fact is that the Congress unit in Andhra Pradesh is in a crisis.

A spate of resignations from MLAs across parties over the last three days has deepened the crisis. (Read & Watch: KCR on Telangana crisis)

For Chief Minister K Rosaiah, it isn't a rosy picture at all. He faces the situation of mass resignation from the MLAs belonging to the non-Telangana region.

Rosaiah has been clarifying his own position - he told the Congress High command on December 9 that he can give no guarantee on passing a resolution on Telangana in the Assembly. (Read & Watch: No resolution on Telangana in Assembly, says Rosaiah)

"I said to move a resolution, and to pass it is very difficult. I cannot assure you that the resolution will be passed because the numbers are most important. Cutting across party lines, agitation will take place. I expressed my fears to the Congress leadership," he said. (Read: Congress' game plan for Andhra, Telangana)

A divided Andhra

Rosaiah presides over a Cabinet that is virtually split down the middle. And even after its emergency meeting on Thursday, the divide was visible when the Andhra and Rayalaseema ministers trooped out first, followed by the group from Telangana.

"The decision to resign has been taken. But MLAs and ministers are different; ministers can give resignations to chief minister only," said G Venkat Reddy, a minister from coastal Andhra.

"The basis on which the decision was taken has now disappeared because they now say they don't agree. That means there is no consensus," Union Law Minister and Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Veerappa Moily said. (Read: Decision on Telangana is now 'baseless', says Moily)

And it's not just Congress ministers who are spilt over the Telengana issue, TDP MLA Devineni Uma-Maheswara Rao threatens he will go on an indefinite hunger strike.

There have been widespread and violent protests all over coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema ever since the Centre made its midnight announcement that a new state of Telangana would be carved out. (Read: Anti-Telangana protests continue in Andhra)

With protesters turning increasingly aggressive and huge economic interests at stake, Andhra Pradesh is under siege. (Forum: Is Telangana statehood a Pandora's Box?)

It's not just the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, but his counterpart in Tamil Nadu too is critical of the way the centre dealt the Telengana crisis. This is what Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, a key ally of the UPA, had to say: "The Centre need not have first delayed its decision over Telengana and then gone ahead hastily." (Read and watch: Hasty announcement caused Telangana crisis: Karunanidhi)

Also watch: Big Fight - The Telangana row