There is a lot at stake for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh with all members of legislative assembly and members of Parliament of the party from the Telangana region deciding to tender their resignation on Monday. Currently, hectic efforts are on to pacify these leaders not to resign from their posts.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is leading the party's pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday gave some exciting moments during the foot march as he suddenly started to sprint along with some school children, forcing others to run.
The SC asked why was there a need to make a public statement when a probe had already been ordered into the matter.
A group of supporters of unified Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday attacked the local Bharatiya Janata Party office in Vijayawada, where a press conference was on, and damaged furniture.
If Jaganmohan Reddy wins the Kadapa by-election, he may be able to destabilise the Congress state government in Andhra Pradesh. This may also have implications for the UPA government at the Centre, says T V R Shenoy.
State police, however, denied there was any breach of security but said one Congress worker has been apprehended in this connection, while three other party workers were arrested for trying to enter the airport with black balloons.
December 28 is going to be a decisive day for the three major political parties in Andhra Pradesh -- Congress, Telugu Desam and YSR Congress.
Key United Progressive Alliance ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party were on the same page on Sunday in their criticism of the Centre and the Congress over the handling of the Telangana statehood issue, which has spawned a crisis in Andhra Pradesh.
Pushed to the corner by the deteriorating health condition of Telangana Rashtriya Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, the Congress on Wednesday night agreed to pass a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly for the creation of a separate Telangana state, in a bid to defuse the current volatile situation. Addressing a press conference late on Wednesday night, Home Minister P Chidambaram said, "The process of creating a separate Telangana state will be initiated."
Sources close to Reddy confirmed that his visit to the hill shrine has been cancelled, but did not immediately divulge the reason behind the decision that came just a couple of hours before he was supposed to depart to the temple town.
Andhra Pradesh now faces the specter of President's Rule due to the political instability prevalent in the state with the resignations of a large number of legislators over the Telangana issue, questions are also being asked whether the happenings in Andhra Pradesh cast their shadow on the Manmohan Singh led-United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi.
Senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh G Venkataswamy, who caused a flutter demanding the resignation of Sonia Gandhi as party chief, could be shown the door. Indications to this effect were available with Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, saying that his "viciousness" in attacking Gandhi and his "arrogance" certainly warranted action.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday snubbed the Rashtriya Janata Dal, headed by his arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav, stating that he had forged alliances 'by mistake' with the opposition party which 'did nothing' while in power.
Madhu Yashki Goud, senior Congress Member of Parliament from Telangana, who has been instrumental in the decision making on Tuesday, says these misconceptions are being spread by uncouth MPs from Rayalseema and Andhra.
The Congress high command may not have taken cognisance of their demand for replacement of N Kiran Kumar Reddy as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, but the "rebel" members of his cabinet are not ready to let him breathe easy.
With the reality of coalition politics staring the BJP in its face, this was inevitable, points out Ramesh Menon.
Some of the Congress's new-found enthusiasm for hitting the streets will show its result in the Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka elections. That is when we will know if the Congress will go to the regional parties or the parties will come to the Congress.
Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao terms Congress party's decision to divide Andhra Pradesh as painful
The ruling Congress suffered a setback in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as three Members of the Legislative Assembly from the coastal region quit the party in protest against the bifurcation of the state.
T S Sudhir speaks to K T Rama Rao, TRS member of legislative assembly and son of party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, on how the Parkal by-poll result will help the Telangana cause and the bitter political rivalry between his party and the BJP.
It was supposed to be a momentous day for the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh with formalities related to the merger of Praja Rajyam Party getting completed on Monday.
The setback could derail Rao's ambitions to expand the BRS's influence beyond Telangana and establish a national presence.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday said a separate state of Telangana could be carved out of Andhra Pradesh, only if the State Assembly first passes a resolution on it.
With its age-old fascination for education, southern states have done better than the North. Start-ups, IT hubs, and industry majors setting up shop have changed the face of the South. Nearly 79% of global offices set up by international conglomerates in India are in the South. Almost 46% of tech unicorns are from the South. The GDP per person in the South is 4.2 times higher than the North. None of these indicators can be ignored by any central government, whatever the political compulsions, notes Ramesh Menon.
The spectre of political instability has raised its head in Andhra Pradesh with the Kadapa Member of Parliament YS Jaganmohan Reddy quitting the Congress party. Now all the eyes are riveted on him to see how many Congress MLAs in the state will follow in his footstep, reports Mohammed Siddique.
Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Kondru Murali Mohan and Forest Minister Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju on Monday resigned from their posts protesting the proposed bifurcation of the state.
In a blow to the YSR Congress, one of its senior MPs on Sunday joined rival Telugu Desam Party which is set to form the government in Andhra Pradesh, while speculation was rife that another party MP may follow suit.
"NCP president Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav, DMK chief MK Stalin, Bihar's former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal among other opposition leaders will attend the oath-taking ceremony in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on December 17," said well-placed sources.
The Andhra Pradesh police have arrested a suspected Naxal leader identified as Savita alias Madhvi in Khammam district of the state.
Congress members of Parliament from Telangana region on Thursday attacked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy accusing him of adopting an "uncalled for vindictive attitude" towards the people agitating for a separate state.
Rebel Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday met Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan in Delhi and discussed the state's political issues, including his controversial Odarpu Yatra.According to sources, Jagan is also looking for a way out of the present crisis that is threatening to split the state unit of the Congress. Neither the Centre nor the state government wants an election in the state right now.
In UP and Bengal, it is willing to sacrifice its interests to stop the BJP and would work towards ensuring the BJP did not win incremental seats in Odisha and Telangana.
There is a proposal from the BJP camp that they would resort to a proportion-based increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats for individual states, based on what they now have. On the face of it, this sounds like a fine argument that those demanding a 'freeze' now cannot oppose without reasons and justification, avers N Sathiya Moorthy.
A bandh called by the YSR Congress, Telugu Desam Party and other anti-Telangana political parties is being observed in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday to protest against the passage of the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 in the Lok Sabha.
Thackeray said leaders of the Congress and other parties are holding talks with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) head Chandrababu Naidu to explore the possibility of their entry into the bloc.
The Centre on Saturday said it will convene a meeting of political parties of Andhra Pradesh to discuss the Telangana issue only when it gets to know the views from all of them. Home Minister P Chidambaram said four political parties in Andhra Pradesh -- Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and YSR Congress -- are yet to make up their mind about their stand on Telangana.
Legislators from the Andhra-Seema belt say that Kiran Kumar Reddy ready knew about the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh since December. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises on Wednesday over the alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget.
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu consistently emphasises, among others, the issue during his campaign, alleging that the state has been supplying poor quality liquor while profiting immensely from 'inflated' prices, running to thousands of crores of rupees.
