Six Union Ministers, five Congress MPs and scores of Andhra Pradesh Ministers have tendered their resignations as anger swept across Seemandhra region against the Centre’s decision to create a separate State of Telangana. The 72-hour strike called by anti-Telangana organisations has brought the normal life to a grinding halt in the Seemandhra region.
Terming as “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic” the Government’s decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, Congress MP from Seemandhra l Rajagopal said he will move the Supreme Court challenging the move. Condemning the decision, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu threatened to go on an indefinite fast in New Delhi from Monday, while YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy announced to go on fast unto death in Hyderabad from Saturday.
In view of rising tension, the Andhra Pradesh Police sought another 20 companies of paramilitary forces from the Central Government. This will be in addition to 45 companies already deployed in the State. All the shops, business establishments, offices and educational institutions remained shut and vehicles were off the roads as angry agitators sealed all the roads, even national highways since Friday morning.
According to sources, the Chief Minister has directed the police to show restraint while dealing with agitators. The police have been asked not to fire even rubber bullets. The traffic between Nellore and Chennai was badly hit and there was a 10-km-long traffic jam in Sullurpeta. At many places, including Anantapur, the agitators stopped trains by sitting on the tracks.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy convened an emergency meeting with Ministers, MPs, MlCs and MlAs from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to discuss the developments following the Cabinet’s decision. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde described the protests in Seemandhra region against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as “natural”, saying wherever a new State is carved out, such feelings are bound to come.
“We will take them into confidence. We will try our level best. After all, wherever there is bifurcation of any State, such feelings are there. It is natural. No one can avoid these. But we have to console them. We will try to console them,” said Shinde. He also ruled out the possibility of creating any more States in the country. Shinde dismissed the suggestion that the Naxal problem may increase in the new State of Telangana.
Six Central Ministers — HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju, Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi, Textiles Minister KS Rao, MoS Railways Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, MoS Commerce D Purandeshwari, and MoS for Communication and IT Killi Krupa Rani — have submitted their resignations to the Prime Minister. Raju also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
“It is going to be harmful and detrimental to the long-term interests of the State. I am deeply offended and aggrieved that we have not been able to articulate the concerns of the people,” Raju told the media on Friday. Six Congress MPs — V Arun Kumar, Ananta Venkatarami Reddy, A Sai Pratap and Sabbam Hari, K Bapi Raju and R Sambasiva Rao — have also announced their resignations.
Contending that the majority of the people of Andhra Pradesh are against the bifurcation, Congress MP l Rajagopal said when a resolution in this regard is moved in the State Assembly "we will ensure that it is defeated". Rajagopal, who represents the Vijayawada constituency, expressed confidence that other Parliamentarians and ministers from the region will support him.
AP law Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy resigned from the post and also from primary membership of the Congress in protest. Erasu was one of the dozen ministers who had submitted resignations to the Chief Minister in the first week of August following the July 30 decision of the Congress' Central Working Committee to divide AP. Animal Husbandry Minister P Viswarupu quit his post as well as the Congress party over the state bifurcation decision.
However threat of Seemandhra ministers and MlAs to quit en mass did not materialise as they decided to adopt the strategy of wait till the Telangana resolution comes up before the Assembly and then they would vote against it to defeat it. A delegation of YSR Congress would go to Delhi to meet the President and others to highlight the injustice being meted out to Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, Jagan said. Highlighting the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, he asked how the water would be shared post bifurcation.
Chandrababu Naidu alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was treating Andhra Pradesh as her personal property and was playing with the future of crores of Telugu people. "Situation has come to such a pass that even the Chief Minister and ministers were criticising their own party," he said. However, Naidu's main emphasis was on the alleged match fixing between the YSR Congress and the Congress. "Jagan is now acting as per the script prepared in New Delhi," he alleged.