Congress is likely to clear its position on the vexed issue of Telangana soon, as a view is firming up in the party that dragging on with the separate statehood demand will be detrimental to its interests.
Train services across Telangana region were paralysed on Tuesday as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, Bharatiya Janata Party workers along with other Telangana supporters began a dawn-to-dusk 'rail roko' agitation in support of the separate statehood demand.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday elicited the views of their junior cabinet colleagues and Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh on the Telangana statehood demand, which has virtually divided the party on regional lines.
Amid pressure from various quarters for an early decision on the creation of a separate state of Telangana, the government on Saturday said more consultations with various parties are needed on the contentious statehood demand and the exercise would take "some time" to end. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and political secretary to Congress president Ahmed Patel discussed the situation in Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh.
Accusing the Congress and Telugu Desam Party leaders from Telangana of being insincere over their resignations in support of separate statehood demand, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and political Joint Action Committee on Wednesday announced an action plan to intensify the stir to make them quit and mount pressure on the Centre.
Even as pro-Telangana students are preparing to launch an indefinite hunger strike from July 11 at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, to press for Telangana statehood demand, police on Saturday denied permission to it.
Hyderabad was made the capital city of the two states for 10 years when the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh was carried out in 2014.
Though the TDP does not have enough numbers to pull down the Congress Government, its objective in moving the no-trust motion appears to be part of its strategy to regain the lost ground, particularly in the wake of the Telangana statehood struggle, and also "expose" YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, political observers feel.
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.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of betraying the people over Telangana statehood demand, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Tuesday asked the Centre to move a bill for formation of the state in the winter session of parliament and said his party would support it.
As the Centre grapples with the Telangana crisis, Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and is understood to have briefed him about the situation in the agitation-hit region.
The pro-Telangana agitation should be continued with full steam to make the Centre accept the separate statehood demand in a few months from now, Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Thursday. "Unity is our strength. We will definitely achieve Telangana. Delhi must climb down and give Telangana in a month or two," he asserted.
All preparations for conducting free, fair and peaceful elections to the 60-member Tripura assembly on Thursday have been completed, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarro said.
Pro-Telangana students of Osmania University on Tuesday clashed with police who lobbed teargas shells to prevent them from taking out a rally in support of the separate statehood demand, sparking tension in the university campus.
Pro-Telangana students of Osmania University on Monday clashed with police who lobbed teargas shells to prevent them from taking out a rally in support of the separate statehood demand, sparking tension in the university campus.
Political parties of all hues, including the ruling Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday welcomed the Centre's decision to repeal a clause in a 1975 Presidential Order for the benefit of Telangana, while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and student groups said they would continue their campaign till the orders are issued officially.
From a humble police constable to a first time MP from Telangana and now at the centrestage as a Union minister of state, Porika Balram Naik has come a long way and is being rewarded for his discipline and loyalty to the Congress high command.
It seems in the geopolitics of the 21st century, we can see the subcontinent acting as one geopolitical entity to secure its economic interests. Key to this transformation is a strong India that is pre-eminent but not dominant, notes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
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.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have submitted a report on his consultations with party lawmakers from Andhra Pradesh on the Telangana issue, amid mounting pressure for an "early decision" on the statehood demand.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram was criticised by two opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh -- Telugu Desam and Praja Rajyam -- which said he was "adding fuel to fire" over the contentious Telangana issue.
What should have been a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency is now a three-corner fight with an alliance of local groups fielding an Independent to challenge the national parties.
The LAB leaders said they will continue with their struggle in a peaceful manner through chain hunger strikes and protests.
Twelve constituencies in the Telangana belt of Andhra Pradesh will go to polls on Tuesday.
Students of Osmania University in Hyderabad on Tuesday asked people to boycott New Year celebrations in support of the Telangana statehood demand."We urge people to boycott New Year celebrations to press the government to take immediate steps for the formation of Telangana state," student leaders said.They asserted that they will go ahead with the proposed massive students' convention on January 3.
The delegation led by Forest minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia, who is also the general secretary of IPFT met Shah on Thursday and submitted a five-point memorandum.
The ties between the Telugu Desam Party and the Telangana Joint Action Committee came under strain on Monday with the latter alleging that the main opposition party has an ambivalent stand on the statehood demand.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday sat on a fast at the Ladakh Bhawan where he was staying after the protesters were denied permission to stage the stir for Ladakh's Sixth Schedule status at Jantar Mantar.
Amid the Centre's move to initiate the process for the creation of a separate Telengana state, the demand for statehood to Vidarbha in Maharashtra gained momentum, as former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded a separate state for the region. Muttemwar, senior Congress Member of Prlaiment from Nagpur and protagonist of the statehood campaign for Vidarbha, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Tipra Motha has decided to go solo and hopes to sweep the 20 tribal-dominated seats that hold the key to power in the northeastern state that has a 60-member assembly.
Will Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who gets his orders from New Delhi, call the shots or allow a democratically elected government to independently govern, questions Ramesh Menon.
Telugu actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Monday said he would spell out his stand on the Telangana statehood demand with more clarity after studying the issue in detail.Replying to a query over allegations in some quarters that he lacked clarity on some important issues including Telangana, he denied the charge and said there is nothing wrong in taking time to study the issue."
Mukherjee said the demand for small states was not confined to Telangana alone but was there in other states also.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi has made this a single-agenda, four-horse race.
Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Terming the killing a "cowardly act", the protesters said assurances given by the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure the safety of minorities in the Valley have proved to be false.
'If the BJP does not change its stand, we will hope that those who are in favour of protecting Ladakh come to power.'
India abstained on the resolution, along with France, Japan, Netherlands, and Romania among others. Those voting against the resolution included Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany and the US.
In her maiden speech at a political rally, Sunita also asked people whether Kejriwal should resign as Chief Minister.
It seems that the West is sending a signal to India that it can return to old hostilities unless India toes their line on Russia. It is no surprise that India is being compared with Putin's Russia in terms of targeting 'dissidents' as the West calls these Khalistani terrorists, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
