Telangana crisis: 10 Congress MPs quit, 48-hour bandh called

Hyderabad: The Congress has not been able to stop its MPs from Andhra Pradesh from resigning over their demand for a new state of Telangana. Ten Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP - all from Telangana - have submitted their letters of resignation in Delhi. 

The political crisis swelled in the Andhra Pradesh government as well, with 11 out of 15 ministers quitting on the same grounds. (Read: Congress in crisis mode: 11 of 15 ministers resign over Telangana)

And the Telangana Joint Action Committee has called a 48-hour bandh in the region starting tomorrow. 

In Delhi, Dr K Keshava Rao, a Rajya Sabha member, denied that the MPs are posturing. "We don't play gimmicks. I am giving my resign to the Speaker, still people do not believe," he said. This morning, the Lok Sabha MPs skipped their appointment with Ms Kumar, leading the Congress to hope that the threat of a mass-resignation was largely bluster. That optimism was somewhat corrected by 3 pm, when the Lok Sabha MPs met Speaker Meira Kumar. 

The revolt is the latest manifestation of a clear divide within the party over the need to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Politicians from Telangana say their voters will not forgive them if they don't sacrifice power for the cause of a new state for their homeland.

Earlier today, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "They were supposed to submit the resignation. Now we have requested them that we would like to have another round of talks before they finally submit their resignations. MPs are already here and I am expecting MLAs to reach here by afternoon. We will again have one or two rounds of talks."

Telangana heavyweights concede that they're open to negotiations. "Our resignations are neither to defy the Congress high command nor to create political or constitutional crisis in the state", said senior minister K Jana Reddy, before flying to Delhi to meet with Congress leaders. "They are meant only to convey the strong aspirations of Telangana people to the Congress high command as well as the Centre".

How the numbers add up in Andhra Pradesh

But in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress government is now looking a little unsteady on its feet. Thirty six Congress MLAs, of whom ten are ministers in the state government, have said they will exit today. For the Congress, the math is formidable. Out of 294 seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, Congress has more than 150 seats, its ally the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) has another 18. Together, they stack up to the figure of 168, well above the half-way mark of 147. But if 36 MLAs go ahead with their plan and resign, it will bring the numbers to 132, thus spelling crisis for Congress in the state.

Thirty one members of Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) who are members of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly are also scheduled to quit today. Political analysts say that if the bulk resignations do transpire, President's Rule may have to be considered for Andhra Pradesh.

The movement for a new Telangana state is opposed heavily by leaders from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. Not least because it raises the matter of who Hyderabad, with its booming IT economy, would be awarded to in case of a partition.

The KCR factor

The move within the Congress to speak forcefully in favour of a Telangana state is provoked heavily by not wanting to be completely overshadowed by K Chandrasekhara Rao, or KCR as he's known. 

Today, in the latest of several incendiary speeches, KCR who heads the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS), said, "Buses and trains will not move. Telangana will be like a furnace from tomorrow. I appeal to the Prime Minister to take immediate steps for formation of separate statehood. You have to implement the promise you made. The patience of Telangana people should not be tested any further." (Read: Telangana will turn into a furnace, warns KCR)

On December 9, 2009, the Centre had announced that the process for formation of a separate Telangana state would be initiated. This after 11 days of fasting by KCR, and massive violent protests in the Telangana region. However, after leaders from the non-Telangana areas of Andhra Pradesh objected, political parties in the state u-turned away from the path to a new state. (Read: Telangana will not tolerate hera-pheri, warns KCR)

The Centre set up the Srikrishna Commission which travelled to different parts of Andhra Pradesh to gauge what people and their representatives really wanted. The Commission presented six options to the Centre. Since then, the government in Delhi has said only that it is assessing these options.