Talking Telangana

The issue of separate statehood for Telangana and the likely division of Andhra Pradesh has got a new lease of life in political circles of Andhra Pradesh. The trigger this time is the speculation that the Congress party may now be inclined to take a stand in favour of a separate Telangana, provided the rest of the state agrees to Hyderabad being a shared capital for say 10 years or so. "While we have to wait for the announcement, it looks like they are going to announce the separation of Telangana, with Hyderabad as the shared capital for a period of seven years with law and order in the capital being under the Centre like in Delhi," says a former Congress MP, who last June joined the pro-Telangana party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
 
Political analysts see the current approach being driven by a need to arrive at a short-term solution in view of the elections next year. However, they also feel, if Telangana state becomes a reality, politicians from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, the other important regions of Andhra Pradesh, are not going to keep quiet. While it is a no brainer that the creation of a new capital cannot be done overnight, the key challenge in such a situation will be coming to the consensus on the likely alternative - be it Tirupati, Vijayawada or Visakhapatnam.

In the light of this, given that some of the recent opinion poll results have not been very favourable for the Congress, analysts feel its attempt at taking a firm position in favour of Telangana could even lead to a possible coalition with the TRS. Though how the Congress deals with leaders from other regions and their demands remains to be seen. Already, anti-Telangana MPs have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to oppose any move to divide the state. As far as industry in Andhra Pradesh is concerned, it seems to be willing to wait and watch. At present, many of those in industry are just being politically correct and saying, "Any which way, whatever the decision (either in favour or against a separate state for Telangana) we just want the uncertainty to end."