Union Cabinet Approves Creation of Telangana Thursday Oct 3,2013

The Union Cabinet on Oct 3,2013 Thursday evening gave its seal of approval to a Home Ministry proposal to divide Andhra Pradesh amid the continuing political turmoil in coastal Andhra and Rayalseema that followed the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution of July 30,2013 requesting the Centre to form a separate State of Telangana

In the Cabinet meeting two of the four ministers — who have since resigned — vociferously opposed the decision to create Telangana

Protesting against the cabinet's decision 4 Union Council of Ministers resigned -

• Human Resource Development Minister M. Pallam Raju
• Textiles Minister Kavuri Samba Siva Rao
• Minister of State for Tourism Chiranjeevi and 
• Minister of State for Railways Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy

Anti-Telangana supporters shouting slogans outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence, with members of the United Andhra Pradesh Students Association trying to break the barricade, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the protesters

Supporting the creation of Telangana -

• Science and Technology Minister S. Jaipal Reddy provided his Cabinet colleagues with a potted history of the long battle for Telangana

Emerging from a more than two hour meeting, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who made the initial presentation at the meeting, said a Group of Ministers(GOM) will be set up to work out the various legal and administrative measures to ensure the safety and security of the residents of all the regions of the State, including the guarantee of the fundamental rights

Hyderabad,would be the joint capital of Telangana and the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh Shinde said

India’s 29th State, Telangana, will cover 10 of the 23 districts of the undivided Andhra Pradesh: Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal, besides Hyderabad.

Members of the GoM would include the Unions Ministers of Home, Finance, Human Resource Development, Health, Irrigation, Power, Environment and Forests and Railways, as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission

Note

The process in the creation of the new state will be -

 

• The Central Govt would send the CWC resolution to the State Assembly to seek its views (its approval is not required), after which it will go to the Union Cabinet

• A Group of Ministers to address all the issues of Telangana and Seemandhra — the sharing of waters, revenue, land, power, assets and liabilities — will then be set up

• The Union Cabinet will then ask the Union Law Ministry to draft a bill that will be sent to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for its comments

• Next, the Union Home Ministry will make adequate provisions, incorporating the suggestions

• After this, the Govt-approved draft bill will be sent to the President; Parliament will then have to pass the bill in both the Houses by a simple majority

• The final step: it will go back to the President for notification

Telangana will be India's 29th state

 

 The decision was unanimously cleared this evening Tuesday July 30,2013, first by the different members of the prime minister's coalition, and then by the Congress's most senior decision-making agency, its Working Committee(CWC)

 

PM Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi during the CWC meeting on Telangana in New Delhi

 PM Manmohan Singh, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and other leaders during the UPA meeting on Telangana at PM's residence

 UPA meeting being watched live by Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrasekhara Rao, party's secretary general K. Keshava Rao along with senior leaders, at Telengana Bhavan in Hyderabad on Tuesday

The bill to create Telangana is expected to reach Parliament in the next four to five months, probably in the winter session. Before this it will go to President Pranab Mukherjee and the Andhra assembly.

 

What's Telangana about:

1. Telangana would be the 29th state of Independent India.

2. The Telangana region comprises 10 districts: Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, and Warangal.

3. Apart from Telangana, Andra Pradesh consists of two other parts namely Coastal Andra and Rayalaseema.

4. According to sources, violence that came along with the Telangana merger demand has consumed more than 1000 lives over last three years, which includes numerous cases of self immolation.

5. The sharing of the capital city Hyderabad had long been the bone of contention in the separation struggle.

6. Pro-Telangana people put forward a notion that 45% of the state income comes from Telangana but when it comes to utilization of funds, its share is only 28%.

7. Proponents of a separate Telangana state cite perceived injustices in the distribution of water, budget allocations, and jobs

 

Telangana Timeline

 

1948: The Indian Army annexed princely state of Hyderabad, which had different regions including Telangana.

1950: Telangana became Hyderabad State with appointment of a senior administrator M.A. Vellodi as the chief minister.

1952: First elections were held in Hyderabad State. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao became the first elected chief minister.

Nov 1, 1956: Telangana was merged with Andhra State, which was carved out of Madras State, to form Andhra Pradesh, a united state for Telugu-speaking people.

1969: 'Jai Telangana' movement for separate statehood to Telangana began. Over 300 people killed in police firing.

1972: 'Jai Andhra' movement began in coastal Andhra for separate Andhra state.

1975: Presidential order issued to implement Six-Point Formula, providing some safeguards to Telangana.

1997: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported demand for Telangana state and in 1998 elections promised 'one vote two states'.

2001: K. Chandrasekhara Rao floated Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to revive the Telangana movement.

2004: TRS fought elections in alliance with the Congress, won 5 Lok Sabha and 26 assembly seats. The UPA included the issue in its common minimum programme and formed a three-member committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee.

2008: TDP announced support for Telangana demand.

2009: TRS contested elections in alliance with TDP but its tally came down to two Lok Sabha and 10 assembly seats.

Sep 2, 2009: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy died in helicopter crash, triggering political uncertainty.

Oct, 2009: Chandrasekhara Rao began fast-unto-death for separate Telangana state.

Dec 9, 2009: Centre announced its decision to initiate the process for formation of Telangana state.

Dec 23, 2009: Following protests in Rayalaseema and Andhra regions and en mass resignations of MPs and state legislators, the centre put the process on hold, citing need for consensus.

Feb 3, 2010: Centre set up five-member Srikrishna Committee to look into Telangana issue.

Dec, 2010: Srikrishna Committee submitted its report, suggested six options.

Dec 28, 2012: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde announced after an all-party meeting that a decision will be announced in a month.

July 1, 2013: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh announced that a decision on Telangana is in final stages.

July 12, 2013: Congress core group met on Telangana to discuss reports by the chief minister, deputy chief minister and state Congress chief.

July 26, 2013: Congress core group held another meeting, Digvijaya Singh said Congress Working Committee (CWC) and UPA will take a final decision.

July 30, 2013: UPA coordination panel and CWC met and decided to carve out Telangana state.