Hyderabad, December 10: Andhra Pradesh was plunged in political crisis on Thursday, hours after the Centre agreed to a separate Telangana state, with 58 MLAs, across parties, from the coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions resigning in protest.
Of the 51 MLAs that have sent in their resignations, 32 are from the Congress, 17 from the TDP and nine from the Praja Rajyam Party.
Congress MP from Vijayawada L Rajagopala has also reportedly resigned from the Lok Sabha. Sources say at least five other Congress MPs from the coastal Andhra region may join Rajagopala, an industrialist-turned-politician who has publicly opposed the bifurcation of Andhra. Members of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) have vandalized his home in the past because of his stand against a Telangana state.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet all party MPs from Andhra Pradesh at 4.15 pm on Thursday evening.
Andhra Pradesh Congress chief D Srinivas has meanwhile said there have been no resignations. In Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi, Srinivas said: “All must reconcile now that the decision has been taken. There are no resignations. Please give them time to understand the decision.”
MPs from Telangana too met Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to thank them. Sonia reportedly asked them to “be calm.”
Thursday’s backlash exposes the deep divide not only within the Congress but also within the TDP. The TDP had fought the Lok Sabha elections in partnership with the TRS this year on an agenda that explicitly promised a separate Telangana state.
In numbers, MLAs from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema make up the sizeable chunk in the state Assembly, with only 119 of the 294 seats from the Telangana region.
Of the 157 Congress MLAs, 51 are from Telangana and 106 from the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions and against bifurcation.
But the 14 MLAs from Hyderabad too are not willing to let Hyderabad go to Telangana, which leaves only 37 Congress MLAs in support of Telangana. The state capital in fact is the main bone of contention, with the supporters of a Telangana state insisting that there can be no state without Hyderabad. TRS leader KT Rama Rao pointed out that “Hyderabad has been the capital of the Telangana region for 400 years….we would not accept it without the city”. Congress MP from Telangana Hanumantha Rao too said Hyderabad would have to be part of the separate state.
But those against bifurcation say Hyderabad should not be part of a Telangana package, if at all there is a package. There has been some talk of granting Union Territory status to the city.
The TDP’s case is even more piquant. The party’s traditional stronghold is coastal Andhra Pradesh. It fought the Lok Sabha elections with the TRS and other pro-Telangana parties, but party chief N Chandrababu Naidu has steered clear of voicing open support much to the chagrin of his allies. The TDP has 93 MLAs in the House.
—Agencies