Indian government on Thursday approved the creation of a new state of Telangana out of the larger southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, hoping to quell long-standing agitation by those who argue that the region needs more independence after suffering decades of neglect.
India's home minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, said Hyderabad will be a common capital for both states for 10 years. A panel of ministers will be set up to work out the details of the split, he said.
Telangana's birth will be reviewed by the Andhra Pradesh state assembly and has to be approved by both houses of Parliament.
The ruling Congress party agreed to split Andhra Pradesh state in July after deferring the controversial decision for years and despite strident opposition from those wanting the state to remain intact. Political analysts say the Congress party is seeking to score political points from voters in Telangana ahead of national elections due by the end of next May in which some predict the party will struggle to remain in power. Public-opinion surveys project the party will cede dozens of parliamentary seats to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and others in the election.
The ruling coalition says it is only responding to demands for a new state that have persisted for decades. Supporters of statehood in Telangana say they suffer from high levels of poverty and unemployment because they have been neglected by the Andhra Pradesh government. They also assert they have not been granted their fair share of state spending on irrigation and other infrastructure.
There have been groups demanding the creation of a new state within Andhra Pradesh for more than 50 years. The movement reached its peak in 2009, when a local party leader, K. Chandrashekar Rao, went on an 11-day hunger strike demanding the creation of the state, triggering clashes between his supporters and the police
Indian states were carved out after the country gained independence based on language. Successive governments have tackled the demand for new states with caution, fearing demands for too many new states could threaten the integrity of the country. Telangana will be India's 29th state.
Opponents worry that creating a new state could fan similar demands in other regions across India, a complicated patchwork of ethnicities, castes and more than 100 language groups. India's state borders were last changed in 2000, when three new states were carved out of existing states in the north.
Among other areas where some groups are seeking statehood are Gorkhaland in West Bengal state, Harit Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, and Maru Pradesh in Rajasthan.
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| Telangana approved by Cabinet |
Telangana's birth will be reviewed by the Andhra Pradesh state assembly and has to be approved by both houses of Parliament.
The ruling Congress party agreed to split Andhra Pradesh state in July after deferring the controversial decision for years and despite strident opposition from those wanting the state to remain intact. Political analysts say the Congress party is seeking to score political points from voters in Telangana ahead of national elections due by the end of next May in which some predict the party will struggle to remain in power. Public-opinion surveys project the party will cede dozens of parliamentary seats to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and others in the election.
The ruling coalition says it is only responding to demands for a new state that have persisted for decades. Supporters of statehood in Telangana say they suffer from high levels of poverty and unemployment because they have been neglected by the Andhra Pradesh government. They also assert they have not been granted their fair share of state spending on irrigation and other infrastructure.
There have been groups demanding the creation of a new state within Andhra Pradesh for more than 50 years. The movement reached its peak in 2009, when a local party leader, K. Chandrashekar Rao, went on an 11-day hunger strike demanding the creation of the state, triggering clashes between his supporters and the police
Indian states were carved out after the country gained independence based on language. Successive governments have tackled the demand for new states with caution, fearing demands for too many new states could threaten the integrity of the country. Telangana will be India's 29th state.
Opponents worry that creating a new state could fan similar demands in other regions across India, a complicated patchwork of ethnicities, castes and more than 100 language groups. India's state borders were last changed in 2000, when three new states were carved out of existing states in the north.
Among other areas where some groups are seeking statehood are Gorkhaland in West Bengal state, Harit Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, and Maru Pradesh in Rajasthan.
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