Cabinet clears Telangana, Chiranjeevi quits cabinet

‘The cabinet has given its approval for the creation of a new state of Telangana,’ home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said after the meeting that lasted more than two hours. He said it was decided that Hyderabad will be the common capital of the two bifurcated states for 10 years.

After the creation of the new state, the security and guarantees including fundamental rights of the people of coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana will be ensured, he said.

The cabinet approved a GoM that will go into the issue of a special financial disbursement that may be required from the Centre for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, for building its capital and to cater to special needs of backward regions.

In the meeting, ministers M M Pallam Raju and K S Rao voiced their opposition to the move and even threatened to resign, sources said. They are believed to have said that bifurcation will lead to problems.

The new state will have a geographical area of 10 of the 23 districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Out of 42 Lok Sabha seats and 294 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana is likely to have 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats. The decision brings to fruition the announcement made by the then home minister P Chidambaram on 9 December, 2009 for creation of Telangana.

Meanwhile, union tourism minister K Chiranjeevi resigned from his post in protest against the cabinet’s approval of the formation of the separate state, his aide said. The actor-turned-politician has faxed his resignation to the PMO, his personal assistant said. Chiranjeevi, who hails from Coastal Andhra, was anguished over the way the protests in Seemandhra regions against the division of Andhra Pradesh were handled.

He has come under intense pressure from the united-Andhra supporters in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions following the Congress Working Committee’s endorsement of separate Telangana demand on 30 July.

The united-Andhra supporters have often demanded that Chiranjeevi quit his post to mount pressure on the Congress leadership towards halting the division.