The political scenario in Andhra Pradesh seems to be hotting up across all party lines, putting the 100-day-old K Rosaiah government in a quandary. Around 15 ministers from coastal Andhra Pradesh and five ministers from Rayalseema regions have tendered resignations en masse from the 34-member Cabinet. However, the resignations have not been accepted by the chief minister, who has asked for some time to inform the party high command.
During the day, chief minister K Rosaiah expressed his inability to take the first step towards moving a state Assembly resolution, which is already caught in hurdles. He said it would be difficult to get the resolution passed by the legislature even if it was moved in the current session.
?I can?t assure you that the resolution will be passed because the number is most important. Cutting across party lines, the agitation will take a turn,? he said. Expressing ?astonishment, surprise and anguish? over home minister P Chidambaram?s Wednesday night statement on creation of Telangana, he said to pass a resolution would be difficult and he had expressed his ?fears? to the Congress leadership.
The numbers are heavily stacked against the ruling party. In the 294-member state Assembly, Congress and allies have a total strength of 163, TPP 92, PRS 18 and TRS 10, with the Left, BJP and others making up for the remaining 11.
A total of 140 MLAs from non-Telangana areas, with 80 from the Congress, have already resigned till date, protesting against the decision to carve out the separate state. Five of Congress MPs have also put in their papers, according to sources.
“There was preparation, but to my astonishment, to my surprise and anguish, the so-called statement issued by Chidambaram has created a sort of flutter among the youth of coastal areas of Rayalaseema starting from Srikakulam up to Tirupati to Kadapa,” the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao asserted that Hyderabad would be the capital of the proposed Telangana state and rejected suggestions of making it a shared capital with Andhra Pradesh.
In an interview to a private channel, Rao, whose 11-day hunger strike forced the Centre to agree to the demand for a Telangana state, said Hyderabad could not be made a joint capital on the lines of Chandigarh.
“Hyderabad can?t be compared with Chandigarh. It is not a new bifurcation. Telangana state existed earlier with Hyderabad as capital while Andhra state had Kurnool as its capital.” He also emphasised that Hyderabad is geographically located in Telangana. “How can they (Andhra) claim Hyderabad? Does it make any sense?” he said.
On the bandh call in the Andhra and Rayalseema regions, he said there was no question of going back on a separate Telangana state and added that the protests in other regions against it were ?stage managed and sponsored by vested interests who had invested money and acquired lands illegally in Hyderabad?. He also made a point that a resolution in the state Assembly was not necessary.