New Delhi, December 10
The UPA government appears to have opened a Pandora’s box by agreeing to carve out Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.

Even as Union Home Minister P Chidambram announced today in Parliament that his government had invited TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao to discuss details for implementing the decision, GJM, demanding division of West Bengal and creation of Gorkhaland, has already announced its agitation plan to be executed from December 14 to 17.

Simultaneously, RLD president Ajit Singh, seeking Harit Pradesh out of West Uttar Pradesh, reiterated his demand more forcefully again today.

The GJM called for a complete bandh in Darjeeling hills in support of Gorkhaland. They announced the bandh programme from December 14 to 17 and also announced that at least 21 GJM activists will commence
an indefinite relay fast in four different places in Darjeeling Hills from tomorrow.

A tripartite meeting between the GJM, West Bengal Government and Centre’s representatives is slated for December 21, but its fate is now uncertain.

Similarly Ajit Singh said, “The agitation (for Harit Pradesh) has been active in western part of Uttar Pradesh for the past 10 years. It’s a question of dividing Uttar Pradesh for better administration and development,” he said.

Along with this, strong protests from non-Telangana MPs and MLAs from Andhra Pradesh, with scores of them submitting their resignations against Centre’s decision has made the Congress sit up and wonder how to handle it.

Sources in the Congress hinted that in spite of the commitment it could resort to delay tactics to buy time and appease the opposite side as well.

But the issue has not affected the Congress alone. The BJP is also in a tight spot on the issue. Former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu, while welcoming the government decision on Telangana, was at a loss when asked about Gorkhaland and Harit Pradesh.