The curtains have finally come down on the prolonged and acrimonious Telangana drama with the Union Cabinet approving a note on the formation of separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as the capital.
The 12-page note, presented to the cabinet by the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, offered no deviation from what was decided by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on July 30. As per the road map, the Telangana state would carved out of Andhra Pradesh with 10 districts and Hyderabad as the capital.
Earlier in the day, Shinde obtained "clearance" from the Congress President Sonia Gandhi to put up the note before the cabinet.
Emerging from the two hour long cabinet meeting, Shinde announced that the Cabinet has approved creation of Telangana state with ten districts while Hyderabad will be joint capital for ten years.
"The cabinet approved creation of the new state of Telangana by bifurcating the existing state of Andhra Pradesh. The cabinet also approved constitution of a Group of Ministers to work out mechanism to take appropritate legal and administrative measures for the two states to function from Hyderabad for ten years."
The GoM will also go into measures required for security in all the regions including gurantee of fundamental rights.
The Group of Ministers will also look into the special financial disbursement that may be required for the remainder of Andhra Pradesh for building the new capital and also take care of special needs of all the backward regions.
Hyderabad, which is the major bone of contention between the Telangana protagonists and the integrationists, will be the common capital of Telangana and the remainder of Andhra Pradesh for a period of ten years.
The location of the new capital for Seemandhra would be left to the new state comprising Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions.
With the cabinet's nod, the constitutional process for bifurcation of the state has begun. As a next step, a Group of Ministers (GoM) would be constituted to go into the issues of division including sharing of river waters, power, revenues, assets and liabilities and distribution of employees.
The political temperature in the state has suddenly shot up on Thursday in anticipation of the Telangana note getting the cabinet nod.
The state police has been put on alert to prevent any untoward incidents, particularly in Seemandhra region. The Director General of Police Prasada Rao reviewed the situation through video-conferencing with the district superintendents of police and instructed them to take all possible steps to maintain law and order.
The Seemandhra Congress leaders, who were till yesterday confident of stalling the Telangana note, were crestfallen over the turn of events. They have no option left now other than quitting their posts or accepting the high command's decision.
Meanwhile, there are reports that union ministers Kavuri Sambasiva Rao and Pallam Raju raised objections over the Telangana note during the discussions in the cabinet. The cabinet should pass a resolution that the bifurcation issue would be considered only after achieving a consensus within the Congress and restoration of normalcy in Seemandhra region which is rocked by agitation for the last two months, they argued.
The protests broke out in all the 13 districts of Seemandhra on Thursday following reports that a draft Telangana resolution will be coming up in the cabinet meeting. The protesters took to streets in different parts of Seemandhra and laid siege to the residences of union ministers and MPs, demanding their resignation to mount pressure on the central government to keep the state united.
In the state capital dramatic events unfolded in the Chief Minister’s residence, minister’s quarters and secretariat as the news on T note trickled down. The seemandhra ministers, who were vertically split over the issue of supporting the hardliner Chief Minister N.Kirankumar Reddy, split and met separately and chalked out different route maps.
A group of ministers including Sailajanath left the Seemandhra meeting at minister’s quarters and met chief minister at CM’s camp office. The other group continued their meeting at the residence of finance minister Anam Ramnarayanreddy who is following the “Save AP, Save Congress” line, allegedly at the behest of Congress high command.
In the state secretariat Seemandhra employees assembled in front of Chief Minister’s office and shouted slogans even though the chief secretary has imposed a ban on such protests. One employee collapsed while trying to cross the police cordon and was rushed to hospital.
“We are shocked and feel cheated. All these days we were told that Antony committee is visiting state and we can explain our concerns to him,” a lady employee said.
Meanwhile, various groups opposing the state's bifurcation called for flash strikes in towns such as Kadapa, Rayachoti, Palamaneru, Pulivendula, Proddutur, Guntur, Kanigiri, kamalapuram, Chirala and Addanki.
The Samaikyandhra (United Andhra) groups called for a shutdown in Tadipatri, Kadiri and Kalyandurgam. Protestors bore heavy rains in West Godavari and participated in spontaneous protestors. In Anantapuram a bandh was called and shops were closed.
Demonstrators took out rallies and burnt effigies of leaders of Congress parties, union ministers and MPs. Statues of national leaders were burnt in Chittore district, and statues of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi were vandalized in Visakhapatnam district and other places.
