Hyderabad:
Leaders supporting a new Telangana state have warned that they will start an indefinite bandh on Tuesday if the Union government does not, by Monday, share a schedule for the formation of the new state.
The formal threat has been issued by the Telangana Joint Action Committee. It includes K Chandrasekhar Rao (or KCR, as he's known), Congress ministers from Telangana regions, civil groups, and pro-Telangana student groups. Adding to the tension, 13 of the 33 ministers in the Andhra cabinet have resigned.
Earlier this week, Home Minister P Chidambaram made it clear that the creation of a new state is on hold. Attributing the delay to the lack of political consensus in Andhra, the Minister said lengthy discussions are required.
The backlash to that was immediate and violent. K Chandrasekhar Rao called a 48-hour bandh in Telangana. Trains were stopped, buses were set on fire, and at Osmania University, students destroyed public property and then attacked visiting politicians from Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), hurling chappals at them. The TDP men attacked are among 61 MLAs from Telangana who've resigned to protest against the Centre's go-slow policy, but students were upset that TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu has not publicly expressed his support for a new Telangana state.
Like other Andhra Pradesh leaders, Naidu had committed his support to a new Telangana state at an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister K Rosaiah early this month. That, an 11-day fast by KCR, and daily outbursts of violence prompted the Centre to officially okay a new state on December 9, in a surprise midnight announcement.
Within hours, more than 100 MLAS from non-Telangana regions resigned to protest against the bifurcation of their state. They came from different parties, and their leaders were shocked. So they quickly withdrew support to the idea of a new state, leaving the Chief Minister, the Congress government in Andhra, and the Centre in the lurch.
Actor-politician Chiranjeevi resigned from the Andhra Assembly, accepting moral responsibility for the revised stand of his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
On Wednesday night, KCR resigned from the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of going back on its commitment.
The formal threat has been issued by the Telangana Joint Action Committee. It includes K Chandrasekhar Rao (or KCR, as he's known), Congress ministers from Telangana regions, civil groups, and pro-Telangana student groups. Adding to the tension, 13 of the 33 ministers in the Andhra cabinet have resigned.
Earlier this week, Home Minister P Chidambaram made it clear that the creation of a new state is on hold. Attributing the delay to the lack of political consensus in Andhra, the Minister said lengthy discussions are required.
The backlash to that was immediate and violent. K Chandrasekhar Rao called a 48-hour bandh in Telangana. Trains were stopped, buses were set on fire, and at Osmania University, students destroyed public property and then attacked visiting politicians from Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), hurling chappals at them. The TDP men attacked are among 61 MLAs from Telangana who've resigned to protest against the Centre's go-slow policy, but students were upset that TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu has not publicly expressed his support for a new Telangana state.
Like other Andhra Pradesh leaders, Naidu had committed his support to a new Telangana state at an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister K Rosaiah early this month. That, an 11-day fast by KCR, and daily outbursts of violence prompted the Centre to officially okay a new state on December 9, in a surprise midnight announcement.
Within hours, more than 100 MLAS from non-Telangana regions resigned to protest against the bifurcation of their state. They came from different parties, and their leaders were shocked. So they quickly withdrew support to the idea of a new state, leaving the Chief Minister, the Congress government in Andhra, and the Centre in the lurch.
Actor-politician Chiranjeevi resigned from the Andhra Assembly, accepting moral responsibility for the revised stand of his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
On Wednesday night, KCR resigned from the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of going back on its commitment.
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