NEW DELHI (TIP): The Centre on October 3 took the first significant step towards creation of a separate Telangana state from out of Andhra Pradesh and decided that Hyderabad will be the joint capital of the two states for 10 years. Over two months after the Congress Working Committee put its seal of approval, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Home Ministry for creation of the 29th state and decided to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out modalities. “The Cabinet has given its approval for the creation of a new state of Telangana,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters after the meeting that lasted more than two hours. He said it was decided that Hyderabad will be the common capital of the two bifucated states for 10 years. After the creation of the new state, the security and guarantees including fundamental rights of the people of coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana will be ensured, he said. The Cabinet approved a GoM that will go into the issue of a special financial disbursement that may be required from the central government for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, for building its capital and to cater to special needs of the backward regions. The new state will have a geographical area of 10 of the 23 districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The decision brings to fruition the announcement made by the then Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009 for creation of Telangana. The Cabinet took the momentous decision despite stiff opposition from within Congress leaders from Seemandhra region, including Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Ministers and MPs. Some of them even hreatened to quit. Ever since the CWC took the decision, there have been agitations against the bifurcation in the Seemandhra region.

Chiranjeevi resigns
Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi Thursday night resigned from his post in protest against the Union Cabinet’s approval of the formation of separate Telangana from southern Indian state Andhra Pradesh, his aide said. The actor-turnedpolitician has faxed his resignation to the Prime Minister’s Office, his personal assistant said. Chiranjeevi, who hails from Coastal Andhra, felt anguished over the way the protests in Seemandhra regions, going on for over two months, against the division of Andhra Pradesh were handled. He has come under intense pressure from the united-Andhra supporters in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions following the Congress Working Committee’s endorsement of separate Telangana demand on July 30. The united- Andhra supporters have often demanded that Chiranjeevi quit his post to mount pressure on the Congress leadership towards halting the division of Andhra Pradesh.

Pallam Raju quits
Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister M.M. Pallam Raju, who on October 3 resigned from the Council of Ministers protesting the Union Cabinet’s nod to the creation of a separate Telangana state, said he is deeply offended and aggrieved that the concerns and sentiments of the people of the region have not been taken into consideration.