NINE ruling party members of India’s parliamentary lower house submitted their resignations yesterday to put pressure on the government to split the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in two.
If they are accepted, the corruption-tainted government – led by the Congress party – would see its slim majority reduced by about half. The threat of resignation is often used as a political pressure tactic in India, however.
The resignations were given to parliamentary speaker Meira Kumar, said a party official. A Congress member of the upper house also threatened to quit.
About three dozen Congress state lawmakers in Andhra Pradesh, including 11 ministers, also tendered their resignations to back the decades-old demand for a separate Telangana state.
“Today is the fourth of July – American Independence day – and we hope it will also prove to be independence day for the people of Telangana,” state Congress minister K Jana Reddy told reporters.
The proposed new state would include the high-tech hub of Hyderabad, which is Andhra Pradesh’s state capital.
Reddy demanded that New Delhi immediately start the process of creating Telangana state in accordance with a two-year-old pledge to satisfy those who say the region needs separate statehood to combat widespread poverty.
But national Home Minister P Chidambaram told a news conference in New Delhi that the government had not taken a final decision on the “extremely sensitive and complex” issue.
“The central government’s view will be made known after the consultation process is over. We have to bring everyone on board. There is a strong view of large number of people. We are yet to take a final decision,” he said.
Supporters of the proposed new state say that the drought-prone Telangana region has been neglected by Andhra Pradesh administrators.
The lawmakers’ resignations must be accepted by the parliamentary and Andhra Pradesh speakers to take effect – a process that could take several weeks.
New Delhi agreed on December 9, 2009 to the partition of Andhra Pradesh, India’s fifth-largest state in terms of territory.
But two weeks later the government said the proposal needed more consultation following a fierce political backlash.
All 37 legislators of Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party from Telangana have also submitted their resignations to push demands for a separate state.
Pro-Telangana groups had called for the new state’s formation by July 4 and are vowing to step up protests today.
