The UPA II government's next move rests on a 'yes' or 'no' to Telangana by the Congress core committee, which meets in Hyderabad on Friday to take a political decision on the issue that has created a crisis in Andhra Pradesh since the past three weeks.
A six-point charter with terms and reference for a committee to lay a road map for Telangana is ready. The file has been approved by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Law Minister M Veerappa Moily. It will be taken to the prime minister on Friday for final clearance.
Reacting strongly to the Srikrishna Committee report, pro-Telangana student groups on Thursday held protests at the Osmania University in Hyderabad and gave a call for a bandh on Friday in Hyderabad and Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
With the Congress top brass in New Delhi likely to take a final call on Friday on the vexed Telangana issue, the development has sparked a flurry of activities in the Andhra Pradesh capital.
With the stir reaching Day 25 without a solution and amounting to a loss of over Rs 14,000 crore, there seems to be no end to the Telangana agitation, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
With the party fielding three Union ministers, besides four other MPs, as candidates in the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, it may continue with the strategy in Rajasthan.
Why did the government hide the content of the 8th chapter of the Sri Krishna report on the formation of Telangana? Vicky Nanjappa reveals the explosive suggestions made in that chapter
With the date of 'Million March' of Telangana supporters fast approaching, political temperature continues to rise in Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao said that he will go on a hunger strike from February if until then the bill to form a separate Telangana state is not introduced in the Parliament. Rao's decision came at the Joint Action Committee meeting held in Hyderabad on Thursday night, hours after the Srikrishna Commission was made public.
Take the case of Sudarshan Reddy, irrigation minister in the Andhra Pradesh government. He hails from the Bodan constituency in Nizamabad district and was supposed to return to his home constituency on Saturday. However, he advised against it due to the protests outside his house.
The BJP has often highlighted the global recognition of his leadership and India's enhanced stature at the international level in its political discourse, an issue which is likely to rise in salience following the G20 meeting.
In the letter, they said as members of the committee, it is their moral and constitutional responsibility to discuss this matter with utmost urgency and the required sincerity.
The Rajya Sabha has already given its nod to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.
In this interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Lateef Mohammad Khan -- the convenor for the Muslim Forum for Telangana -- sums up his views on the report saying, 'Khoda pahaad nikla chuha, woh bhi mara hua (Dug up a mountain to find a rat, that too a dead rat)
The impending expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, three bills to replace criminal laws and a proposed law for the appointment of election commissioners are issues set to dominate the Winter Session of Parliament, with the government urging the Opposition to ensure a conducive environment for discussions in the House.
Telangana supporters on Thursday intensified their protests as part of the ongoing general strike that began on September 13. Mohammed Siddique reports
The Telangana political Joint Action Committee on Friday asked people in the region to boycott the Census, refrain from paying taxes and observe a shutdown as part of the non-cooperation agitation from February 17. The JAC has planned the agitation in support of its demand for early introduction of a bill for the formation of separate Telangana. The JAC would announce the details of the non-cooperation agitation in the villages on February 13 and hold rallies on February 14.
Gandhi will embark on a 15-kilometre padyatra in Telangana's Adilabad district on Friday, highlighting the issues of farmers.
Even as dark shadows of a fresh intense agitation were looming large over Telangana region, students of as many as eight universities across the region have come together to take forward the movement for Telangana. A meeting of the representatives of the student community from the 8 universities has decided to form a new Telangana Universities Students Joint Action Committee to intensify the stir with out depending on the political parties or the leaders.
The incident took place on the second day of the 48 hour-long shutdown call given by the Telangana Joint Action Committee.
Normal life was affected on Friday in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh following the day-long bandh called by the Telangana political Joint Action Committee.
The bill on separate Telangana could rock the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha beginning Wednesday with several parties asking the government to first get the Vote on Account passed before taking up any other legislation.
Congress general secretary and leader-in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijaya Singh added to the confusion surrounding the Telangana issue on Thursday when he spoke about the possibility of a Constitutional Amendment to create a separate state.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee which was to complete their protest march at 7 pm on Sunday has decided to stay put on Necklace Road in Hyderabad until there is a decision on separate statehood.
The steering committee of Congress leaders from Telangana on Monday appealed to Andhra Pradesh ministers from the region not to attend their official duties and party MPs to stay away from Parliament.
Is the proposal by the GoM to form a new state -- Rayala Telangana -- with two more districts a political strategy? Vicky Nanjappa finds out
The MLAs -- 10 from the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, 2 from Congress, one each from Bharatiya Janata Party, Telugu Desam Party and Praja Rajyam -- met Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy in Hyderabad and submitted their resignation. The legislators said they resigned in order to mount pressure on the Centre to take immediate steps for formation of a separate state.
Those responsible for protecting MPs have failed in their constitutional duties, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a move bound to create a major political storm in Andhra Pradesh, the law ministry has given a go ahead the home ministry note on Telangana.
The nomination is an indication that the veteran Congress leader is not sure of victory from Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency she has represented for five terms.
The state disaster management authorities informed that the three member committees set up at district level confirmed that all these deaths were occurred due to sun stroke and heat wave related problems.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh and several Congress leaders are against the formation of a separate state but are supporting the decision in the hope that it would win the party seats in the region. Renu Mittal reports
Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan is resorting to dinner diplomacy to avoid any last minute misunderstandings and to pave the way for smooth meeting of the first sitting of of the Justice Srikrishna Committee on Telangana.
Apparently embarrassed by the resignation of two party Members of Legislative Assembly from Telangana to protest the Terms of Reference of the Sri Krishna committee, the Congress high command has summoned the two legislators to Delhi for talks.R Damodar Reddy and Ch Mutyam Reddy left for the national capital on Tuesday to hold talks with Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily, in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, and other leaders.
In the first incident of its kind, about 100 pro-Telangana agitators stormed the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad and disrupted the Deccan Twenty 20 match between Andhra and Hyderabad cricket teams on Thursday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on holding of elections to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Students of Osmania University have decided to go ahead with their 'Vidhyarthy Garjana' (students' roar) rally on Sunday despite the Andhra Pradesh government refusing to permit the programme.
Rallies, hunger strikes and demonstrations continued in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh on Monday after the Joint Action Committee (JAC) intensified its agitation, mounting pressure on the Centre for a separate statehood.
The 42-day-long strike by the government employees of Telangana region was withdrawn on Monday evening. About 45,000 employees, who had gone on an indefinite strike on September 13 in support of Telangana state, will be returning to work from Tuesday morning.
According to highly placed sources, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday shared her plans regarding Telangana with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy in Delhi. Reddy is also believed to have taken up the matter with the top political leadership.
