New Delhi: The cabinet today cleared major steps for carving out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad will be shared for 10 years as the capital of the old and new state. Two cabinet ministers, Pallam Raju and KS Rao, registered their strong dissent at today’s meeting.
Here are the latest updates:
- Ahead of the cabinet meeting, activists opposed to the bifurcation of the state protested near the Prime Minister’s home. The Cabinet approved a note prepared by the Home Ministry that outlines the plan for how Andhra Pradesh will be bifurcated.
- The cabinet approved the setting up of a group of ministers who will be assigned to figure out how to divide water, power and revenue between the two states.
- The group of ministers will also examine special financial assistance for Andhra Pradesh after Telangana is carved out, said Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, promising “fundamental rights” for people from all three parts of Andhra Pradesh.
- Telangana is one of three regions in existing Andhra Pradesh. The others – Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, referred to as “Seemandhra” – are bitterly opposed to the division of the state.
- The Cabinet’s resolution on the creation of Telangana will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, with the recommendation that he refer it to the Andhra Pradesh state legislature
- Though the Andhra Pradesh Assembly is meant to provide feedback on the resolution, the Centre is not obliged to accept its opinion.
- In Hyderabad, ministers from Seemandhra have said they will ensure that the resolution is not passed by the state legislature. They have the support of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy who is also from Seemandhra.
- Cabinet ministers who are from Seemandhra – Pallam Raju and KS Rao – reportedly protested strongly at today’s meeting over the centre’s decision.
- Hyderabad will start out as a shared capital for 10 years, after which it will belong to Telangana, said the Home Minister.
- Who gets to keep the prosperous IT hub has been a major headline of the controversial decision by the centre to make Telangana India’s 29th state.(NDTV)
