As curtain rings down on 2013, the year is leaving an indelible mark on the history of Andhra Pradesh. The year will be remembered as the one which changed the geography and political landscape of the State.
Decision of the Union Cabinet to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and the release of YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy on bail were the two watershed events of the year whose after effect will continue to be felt for a long time.
Political uncertainty and inertia of the Government over the last five years caused by Telangana agitation further intensified during the year as the Congress led UPA Government in New Delhi decided to accept the decades old demand. But it opened a Pandora's Box and unleashed a counter agitation in Seemandhra region opposing any move to divide the State.
The New Year will find Andhra Pradesh in the grip of nerve wrecking suspense and on the brink of division as Center have less than two months to implement its decision despite strong resistance from a powerful section of ruling Congress party itself.
Many important Congress leaders including members of Parliament were threatening a revolt against the party leadership. Clearly 2014 will be year of many new and big challenges for the ruling party as it will face the Parliamentary and State Assembly elections as a divided house. There was a question mark on the loyalty of the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy as he was dead against the bifurcation of the State and reportedly planning to float his own political party.
Release of Jaganmohan Reddy from 19 months long imprisonment in disproportionate assets case has only added to the woes of Congress party. Jaganmonah Reddy, wh heads the breakaway faction of Congress under the name of YSR Congress has stepped up his campaign both against the Congress party and its decision to divide the state since his release from Chanchalguda jail.
While the CBI has filed ten charge sheets against him in disproportionate assets case, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department were continuing their own investigations in to other allegations of financial wrongdoings against Jagan. But unmindful Jagan continues to expand his base specially in Seemandhra regions and attract more and more leaders of Congress party in to his fold.
2013 saw Congress party losing ground on more than one fronts. While two senior ministers Sabita Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasad Rao had to resign from the cabinet as their names figured in the charge sheets related to Jagan's disproportionate assets case.
On the other hand both YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti chipped away important leaders from the Congress party. Former Congress Working Committee member K Keshav Rao and two MPs M Jagannadham and G Vivek resigned from the party protesting against dilly dallying by the party leaders on Telangana issue. They joined the TRS further strengthening the regional party.
Congress' hopes of merging the TRS with itself have also gone awry as TRS supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao has made it clear that he will retain his separate party and fight the elections on his own.
He and other Telangana supporters were peeved that the Congress had not fully met their demand for separate Telangana state as Hyderabad will be made joint capital of two states for ten years and many other restrictions will be imposed on Telangana State.
Telugu Desam continues to be in a confused state though the party president N Chandrababu Naidu tried to put a new life in the party through is record breaking 1800 odd kms long Padyatra or walkathon across the state. Naidu was still hopeful of leading his party back to power in 2014 after a hiatus of 10 years. But many say his hope was misplaced.
His walkathon was matched by even longer Padyatra by the YSRCP leader and Jagan's sister Sharmila. Pundits say 2014 will see a direct fight between TDP and Jagan's party in Seemandhra in which Jagan was likely to pip Naidu.
On the law and order front, Hyderabad was once again the target of terror attack. Twin bomb blasts in busy commercial area of Dilsukhnagar killed 16 people and injured many others. The National Investigation Agency says it was handiwork of Indian Mujahideen. It hopes to fully crack the case following the arrest of Yaseen Bhatkal, co-founder of Indian Mujahideen. Bhatkal was brought to Hyderabad to interrogation in connection with twin blasts.
The state also witnessed some ghastly accidents during the year. While 43 passengers of a private Volvo bus were burnt alive on October 30, similar fire accident on a train three days ago claimed 26 lives. The bus was coming from Bengaluru to Hyderabad. The train was going from Bengaluru to Nanded in Maharashtra. The causes of both the accidents were under probe.