In the midst of mounting pressure from both pro and anti-Telangana leaders, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of the crucial United Progressive Alliance and Congress working committee meetings to take a final decision on the separate statehood issue.
Come June 1, the premises that serve as the Andhra Pradesh assembly would have two sittings. In the morning it would serve as the assembly for Seemandhra and in the afternoon, it would act as the Telangana assembly. Aditi Phadnis and Dasarath Reddy report
Former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Monday said that he and nephew Ajit Pawar are together as a family, but made it clear that the latter was heading a different political party.
Former Union Minister and senior Telugu Desam Party leader Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu, who died in a road accident, was cremated with state honours at his native Nimmada village in north coastal Andhra district on Saturday morning.
Government employees in 13 districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday protesting the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress knew that Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh are lost for a long time as Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's leadership is taking deep roots. It also knew that if the next government is formed by the NDA then Telangana will definitely be created depriving them any credit. This pushed the Congress to finally endorse the new state. But the huge risk behind the decision and the uncertainties that go with it are making Congress nervous, says Sheela Bhatt.
With the reality of coalition politics staring the BJP in its face, this was inevitable, points out Ramesh Menon.
According to the officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, one of their sanitary workers was badly injured due to the storm and calamitic conditions in the state.
Flood-ravaged AP heaves sigh of relief as depression further weakens
Prakash Raj and Ajay are the other actors in the film which releases in January.
Holi was celebrated with pomp and splendor across India on Friday, with people soaking in the festivities by smearing 'gulaal' on each other and exchanging greetings and sweets. Homes and streets wore a colourful look as the revellers splashed colours and feasted on traditional delicacies. Public transport did not ply in the morning in most major cities while metro services started functioning from noon. As Holi coincided with the second Friday prayers during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan, security -- including increased patrolling and picketing -- was beefed up in several states. In Delhi, more than 25,000 security personnel were deployed. Police closely monitored about 300 sensitive areas with CCTV cameras and drones.
Heavy falls at isolated places are very likely over Kerala on April 29 and 30. The system will not make landfall in Tamil Nadu, but may bring light rain in some northern parts, it said.
Rediff.com has in its possession the full Cabinet Note that was given to the members of the Cabinet ahead of the crucial meeting on Friday evening.
'We have not even used 0.1% of the available resources.'
The country saw 645 events of heavy rainfall and 168 events of very heavy rainfall in November, the highest in the month in five years, the India meteorological department said on Wednesday.
The violence during the Million March protest in Hyderabad on Thursday seems to have caused considerable confusion in the ranks of the Telangana movement leaders.
The name 'Laila' which means dark-haired beauty or night in Persian was suggested by Pakistan to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) which is tasked by the World Meteorological Organisation to track and name cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean, an IMD official said.
A committee has been set up to finalise the capital for the region, which will consult both Union government and both the new state governments. Vicky Nanjappa reports
'It is very likely to move nearly northwards for next few hour and recurve slowly north-northeastwards along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts during noon to evening on Wednesday and emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coasts by night,' the India Meteorological Department said in its national bulletin.
Telugu Desam president president N Chandrababu Naidu has held the Congress responsible for the flood of resignations by the members of Assembly from coastal Andhra and Telangana region.
Till September 1948, Telangana region was part of Nizam's dominion, which was the biggest Muslim state in India under British rule, known as the Hyderabad state.
India's private and state government-owned ports (non-major ports) continued to grow faster than those owned by the Centre (major ports) through the first three quarters of 2023-24 (FY24), cargo handling data shows. At 604 million metric tonnes (mmt), cargo at major ports grew by 5 per cent between April and December, while non-major ports' cargo traffic growth was 11 per cent at 531 mmt. During December 2023, central government-owned ports in India handled cargo volumes of 69.9 mmt, a tepid year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth of 0.7 per cent.
IMD director general Mrutunjay Mohapatra said that cyclone Asani has already achieved maximum stage of intensification and is gradually getting weakened.
There has been a mixed response to the latest statement of Uion home minister P Chidambaram on the issue of Telangana state promising large-scale consultations with all the political parties.
Home Secretary G K Pillai backtracked on his statement given earlier on Friday where he said that Hyderabad would be the capital of the proposed Telangana state.
Satyam Computer Services Ltd founder, B Ramalinga Raju, his brothers and their spouses have acquired 1,065 properties with a registered value of Rs 350 crore (Rs 3.50 billion). These include 109 properties in coastal Andhra, 11 in Karnataka, 40 in Nagpur, 29 in Chennai and 876 in Hyderabad and the surrounding Rangareddy district, according to sources tracking developments in the Central Bureau of Investigation probe of the Satyam case.
Curfew has been imposed in Vizianagaram town with police given the orders to shoot at sight in the wake of large-scale violence by anti-bifurcation agitators, police said.
Brace for some warmth this winter as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its December-February forecast on Thursday said that the minimum and maximum temperatures could remain 'normal' to 'above normal' over most parts of Northwest and Northeast India. Both the minimum and maximum will remain below normal in Southern Peninsular and Central India in these winter months. While this could give some respite from the intense cold of North India, it could have a negative impact on the standing rabi crops if the temperature rise is unusual and abnormal.
After England tore the prediction books for an epochal 28-run victory in Hyderabad in the first Test, India now find themselves in a tight space, mentally and technically, ahead of the second match starting in four days in Visakhapatnam.
Heavy rain in coastal Andhra Pradesh in the wake of Cyclone Laila has paralysed industrial activity in the state, including closure of oil rigs in the Krishna-Godavari Basin. Cargo handling at ports also suffered due to the incessant rain.
Normal life was crippled in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions today as united Andhra Pradesh supporters, including TDP, YSR Congress, observed a bandh against the Union Cabinet's approval of the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill.
Welcoming her into the party fold, Chiranjeevi said, "Her entry in to our party reflects the response and respect women of the state are giving to our party."
The opposition Telugu Desam party received another big jolt on Thursday with senior leader and former minister Tammineni Sitaram quitting its ranks and joining the Praja Rajyam party of film-star turned politician Chiranjeevi.
The government declared Monday (Dec 4) a public holiday and urged private companies to encourage 'work from home' option for its employees in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts.
With the Congress leadership reportedly inching towards a favourable decision on Telangana statehood demand, a party member of Legislative Assembly and several YSR Congress legislators from non-Telangana regions on Thursday said they have "resigned" in support of united Andhra Pradesh.
Southwest monsoon hit Kerala on Friday marking the start of the rainy season, four days after its normal onset date.
The MPs are learnt to have blamed Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for the wording and timing of his announcement on Telangana, which they said has sent the message that the Centre is agreeable to the splitting of Andhra Pradesh and that now it is just a matter of time before the new state is born.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday assured a delegation of Congress Members of Parliament from coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalseema regions that a decision on the Telangana issue could be taken by Tuesday.
