Following the Cabinet approval for the formation of the new state of Telangana, normal life was paralysed in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh as a 48-hour bandh was called in protest against the Union Cabinet?s decision on Telangana formation.
More than six lakh government employees, teachers, and workers have been on strike since August to protest the July 30 decision of the Congress party to create a separate Telangana state.
Telangana is one of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh. The other two ? the 13 districts of ?Seemandhra?, as the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are jointly called ? are in total shutdown mode with shops, schools and offices closed indefinitely.
The 48-hour shutdown was called by the Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers (APNGOs) and other united-Andhra supporters. The YSR Congress party has also called for a 72-hour bandh separately.
The decision has caused a flurry of resignations by Union ministers and MPs opposed to the division of Andhra Pradesh. HRD minister M M Pallam Raju, Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy, K Sambasiva Rao,K Chiranjeevi, D Purandeswari, and Killi Kruparani have resigned, according to their aides.
Protesting against the ?arbitrary? move of splitting Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will undertake an indefinite fast demanding the Centre revoke its decision, and a party delegation will leave for Delhi to garner support for his fight against the decision. ?I will begin an indefinite fast demanding the Centre roll back its decision of dividing the state, and request all leaders ? cutting across the party lines ? to join the fight against UPA?s arbitrary decision of setting aside all established norms of a mandatory Assembly resolution,? Jagan Mohan Reddy told the media.
?The Centre has hoodwinked all the good democratic practices and has gone ahead with its agenda of dividing the state for the sake of a few votes and seats, and has taken the people for granted. When Assembly consent was taken before carving separate states from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, the practice was given a go-by when it came to Andhra Pradesh, and UPA intentionally opted to ignore it for political reasons,? he said.
Meanwhile, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the group of ministers (GoM) will make its recommendations within six weeks with the Telangana Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session.
According to the terms of reference for the group of ministers, the human resource development, urban development, road transport and highways, power, and personnel ministers, along with the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, will be the other members of the high-powered body. The GoM will determine the boundaries of the new state of Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to electoral constituencies, judicial and statutory bodies and other administrative units.
It will look into the legal and administrative measures required to ensure that both state governments function efficiently from Hyderabad, which is to be the common capital for the two states for 10 years. The GoM will take into account the legal, financial and administrative measures that may be required for transition to a new capital for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. It will also look into the special needs of both states and recommend measures.
In view of the bandh situation, power supply in at least six of the 13 districts in Seemandhra has been critically hit as all but one of the seven units of the Vijaywada Thermal Power Station are closed, with employees participating in protests. Apart from Vijayawada, the neighbouring districts of Eluru, Guntur, Machlipatnam and East and West Godavari districts are also facing power crisis. The authorities say that since protesters are present at the power station, it is unlikely that power generation will resume soon.
