Uncertainty clouds the political landscape of Andhra Pradesh. The demand for bifurcation of the State has thrown the political establishment into a tizzy. The main parties — Congress (I) and Telugu Desam — are a divided lot on the Telangana issue.
The Legislative Assembly Speaker, Mr Nadendla Manohar, is undecided on the resignation tendered by several legislators and ministers from the Telangana region. The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, has the daunting task of saving his Government and quelling the ongoing general strike.
Survival battle
The Telugu Desam leader, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, is fighting a survival battle for the party in Telangana and Seemandhra.
The Congress (I) is the worst hit, with its ministers and legislators facing heat from both regional interests and national party diktats. The Congress (I)-led UPA Government is dithering and delaying a decision on the issue.
The net result is that Andhra Pradesh — a politically vibrant and economically buoyant State — is slipping into a state of suspended animation.
The month-long general strike is beginning to hit the State hard on all fronts —political and economical.
Traditionally a Congress bastion, the State has 294 Assembly seats and 42 MPs. It is divided into three regions — Telangana has 10 districts, Andhra 9 and Rayalaseema 4. Telangana has 119 Assembly and 17 Parliament seats.
The erstwhile Hyderabad State, Telangana was integrated into Andhra Pradesh in 1956 under controversial conditions.
Subsequently, there were several movements calling for a separate Telangana, the most prominent among them being led by Dr Marri Chenna Reddy in 1969-70. His Telangana Praja Samithi swept elections, but a counter-agitation for a separate Andhra in 1970-71 and a tacit understanding with the Cong (I) under Ms Indira Gandhi saw the movement fizzle out.
Since 2003, the Telangana movement led by Mr K. Chandrasekhara Rao of TRS has been growing in strength.
In the 2004 elections, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's Cong (I) had a tie-up with TRS and won handsomely. Dr YSR, a shrewd and mass leader, ensured that both the Telangana issue and Mr KCR were under control. A disgruntled Mr KCR and a desperate Mr Chandrababu Naidu along with the left parties formed a grand alliance for the 2009 polls to challenge YSR by promising Telangana, but they fell short of the mark.
However, the sudden death of YSR in September 2009 changed things around dramatically.
The December 2009 fast by Mr KCR precipitated a statement from the Centre promising to work out a roadmap for the creation of Telangana. Within a fortnight, a backlash from the people's representatives of the other two regions — Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema — with mass resignations calling for a united Andhra Pradesh wrested another statement favouring wide consultations on the feasibility of Telangana creation. Interestingly, industrialists-turned-politicians are at the forefront of a united Andhra Pradesh.
Definitive annoucement
Will the Government come out with a definitive announcement? Will it opt for a States Reorganisation Committee? Will it go for President's rule?
Will it pick one of the six options proposed by the Justice Sri Krishna Commission? Or will it dither and delay in the name of consultations and committees till 2014, when the State is due for elections, and thereby allow people to decide at the hustings? The situation is indeed pregnant with possibilities.