Hyderabad, December 11
The political storm in Andhra Pradesh over the Centre’s decision to carve out a separate Telangana state has intensified with the number of resignations by MLAs, cutting across party lines, increasing by the hour and regional passions running high, leading to violent protests.

Stung by a virtual revolt by the political class in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, the Congress leadership appeared to be backtracking on statehood issue and looking for a safe exit.

“I have not received any oral or written directions from the high command to move a resolution on Telangana in the Assembly,” Chief Minister K Rosaiah told reporters here today as he grappled with the unfolding crisis triggered by en masse resignations by legislators from the two regions.

In the 294-member Assembly, 130 MLAs have submitted their resignations to protest against bifurcation of the state. They include 76 from the ruling Congress, 40 from the main Opposition party the TDP and 14 from the Praja Rajyam Party led by actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.

For the first time in the history of the Assembly, the members were seen huddled together on regional lines, rather than political lines, to chalk out their respective strategies.

In a rare show of solidarity, the Congress and TDP members, belonging to Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, together staged a dharna near Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Assembly complex.

Seeking to douse the regional flames, the CM said the opinion of all the stakeholders would be taken to find an acceptable solution.

Making it clear that there was no time frame for moving the Telangana resolution in the Assembly, he said, “I have been told by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram that they would advise me at an appropriate time on moving the resolution.”

When asked to define the time frame, he quipped, “They said they will start the process at an appropriate time”.

“No comments,” was his crisp reply to a question whether the Congress high command misjudged the ground situation before announcing the decision to grant statehood to Telangana.

“Our Central leaders are trying to find out a suitable solution and resolve the crisis,” Rosaiah said.

Asked whether his government had been reduced to a minority with the resignation of over 76 Congress MLAs, he said such a situation would arise only if the resignations were accepted.

In another move, apparently aimed at buying time, the Chief Minister said a Legislators’ Committee on Telangana, which was set up by his predecessor late YS Rajasekhara Reddy in February, would be reconstituted soon to elicit views of all the stakeholders. The committee, headed by Rosaiah, did not make any headway in the past.

Meanwhile, all Congress MLAs, who resigned, held a separate meeting and formed a Joint Action Committee and elected the government whip Dr S Shailajanath as their convenor.

“From tomorrow, we will visit the districts and hold relay hunger strike camps. We will see that our movement for a unified state will be peaceful”, Shailjanath said.

Normal life was paralysed across coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions where a total bandh was observed in support of unified state cause.