As people in the Seeema-Andhra region hold the BJP as responsible for the bifurcation of the state as the Congress, the RSS feels the need to assure them that their needs are protected.
President Pranab Mukherjee, the former trouble-shooter of the Congress party, may informally 'guide' the Union government in drafting the bill on the creation of Telangana.
The bandh called by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Telangana Joint Action Committee and several other organisations brought normal life in the region to a grinding halt on Saturday. The bandh was called to protest Friday's firing on pro-Telangana activists who tried to stop the visit of Congress Member of Parliament from Kadapa YS Jaganmohan Reddy to Warangal district. Nearly five hundred pro-Telangana activists were arrested.
Amid reports that decision on the contentious Telangana issue will be taken this month, Congress on Monday said it was not against creation of smaller states including Telangana, but admitted it was a difficult matter to resolve and time consuming too.
A draw of lots was held on Friday to allot Rajya Sabha members to Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh following division of the state.
Grappling with the Telangana issue, Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday met party chief Sonia Gandhi amid reports that an all-party meeting would be convened to find a way out to the statehood demand.
Kavitha attacked the BJP government at the Centre, alleging it of using the investigation agencies to target political parties and leaders who do not subscribe to its ideology.
For Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao, the metamorphosis from being the leader of separate statehood agitation by starting of with only a handful of supporters in 2001 to security majority on his own and occupying the chief minister's chair in Telangana is complete.
Congress leader Veerappa Moily will meet the party's pro-Telangana members of Parliament and legislative assembly at 9 pm on Thursday. Moily's meeting comes in the wake of Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Jupallu Krishna Rao's decision of sending his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. But pro-Telangana activist are upset about the fact that Rao didn't send his resignation to the governor, as per protocol.
Kharge was successful in bringing Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar together in Karnataka and the party now wants to try the same formula in Rajasthan, the senior leader said.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was in all praises for Telugu superstar turned politician Pawan Kalyan. Sharing the stage with him at a rally in Nizamabad, Modi said, "As long as there are people like Pawan, the Telugu spirit will never die."
The 34-year-old Hyderabadi has not been able to cast her vote in the Telangana Assembly elections on Friday after her name was not on voters' list.
Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu blamed the ruling Congress for the present state of affairs in Andhra Pradesh and asked the party to bail the state out of the crisis. "This has become such a complex issue that divisions have taken place in political parties. Congress is responsible for this and they should solve the problem," Naidu, on a tour of West Godavari and East Godavari districts in coastal Andhra, said at Tanuku.
In an embarrassment to Congress, five party Members of Parliament from Telangana on Monday launched a 48-hour sit-in at the main gate of Parliament against non-fulfilment of the promise by the United Progressive Alliance government to create a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh.
Union minister Manish Tewari on Saturday appealed to the leaders in Andhra Pradesh to "observe forbearance" till the Congress high command was going to come out with a decision on the Telangana issue soon. The statement from Tewari came as state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana left for New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the Telangana statehood issue with the party high command.
The leaders feel that their resignations will bring pressure on the government to begin the process for Telangana.
Congress MPs from Telangana region on Friday welcomed the Centre's announcement that a decision on the contentious issue would be taken in a month, claiming that this shows a separate state would become a reality soon.
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.
Seeking to buy time, the Congress high command appears to be toying with the idea of having a deputy chief minister and Pradesh Congress Committee chief in Andhra Pradesh from Telangana region amid a growing clamour for a separate state
'There is a huge risk of misinformation and disinformation, and targeted campaigns that could potentially happen against candidates or to push certain narratives.'
It is likely that the party's allies in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, two of the five states going to the polls in April-May, might insist on allocating fewer seats than they did in 2016, reports Archis Mohan.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy, CPI-M state secretary B Raghavalu, PRP leader C Ramachandraiah were among those who are attending the meeting during which Chidambaram will handed over the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee report on the Telangana statehood demand.
While every party jostles to claim credit for the formation of Telangana and stitch poll alliances, the confused voter laments about the future of India's 29th state.
Kumar, who is now heading an alliance government in Bihar which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left, has reached out to leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, all of whom are opposed to the BJP but not very comfortable with the grand old party either.
In order to stall the Telangana bill and urge the government to withdraw its decision, the YSR Congress of Jagan Mohan Reddy and Seemandhra government employees will protest in different parts of the city
Dismissing speculation of Telangana throwing up a fractured verdict, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Friday asserted it would form government with a decisive majority without anybody's support on the back of "strong undercurrent and silent wave".
A resolution to this effect was passed at the party's general body meeting in Hyderabad, party sources said.