New Delhi, December 09: If Andhra Pradesh is to be split to create a separate Telangana state, then there are similar demands from other regions in the state too. Andhra Pradesh has 23 districts, including the state capital Hyderabad, in three regions; coastal Andhra (nine), Rayalaseema (four) and Telangana (ten).
Since its inception in 2001, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has been fighting for creation of a separate Telangana state. Telangana region now accounts for 119 of the 294 seats in the Assembly and 17 of the 42 Lok Sabha members.
The TRS feels the struggle for Telangana has now reached a “decisive stage” with the fast-unto-death launched by its leader and former Union Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao 11 days ago.
The TRS, though, is not in full control of the ongoing agitation, what with the students, government employees, lawyers and other sections of the society taking it over.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which in fact had sown the seed for the separate statehood movement with the slogan of ‘One vote, two states’ in 1998, is trying to spearhead it. The first movement of a separate Telangana state started way back in 1969 and met with a gory end in 1971.
As a counter, the ‘Jai Andhra’ agitation was taken up in 1972-73. As the fresh ‘movement’ for Telangana is picking up momentum and even acquiring a violent hue now, voices are being raised with the demand for creation of other smaller states by splitting AP further.
Along with Telangana, there is now the demand for a separate ‘Andhra’, separate ‘Rayalaseema’ and even a separate ‘north-coastal Andhra’.
–Agencies