Telangana’s birth may have to wait

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will come into existence only after the Union government fixes the ‘appointed day’
Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh may not be possible before the general elections scheduled for April-May. This point assumes significance as the Assembly polls are due along with the Lok Sabha elections.

If one is guided by the creation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in November 2000, the formation of Telangana ahead of the elections may not be feasible.

The Bill passed by Parliament on Thursday is likely to be referred to President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday. It will become an Act once he gives his approval.

But it does not automatically translate into the birth of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The two will come into existence only after the Union government fixes the “appointed day.”

According to sources, the Election Commission is proceeding on the assumption that the Lok Sabha and AP Assembly elections will be like any in the past. In other words, the division will take place after the completion of the elections.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi told a delegation of Congress leaders, including Union Ministers from Telangana, who called on her to express their gratitude, to reach out to the people of Seemandhra and not to use harsh words against them.

But some of those opposed to the division have still not given up hope. YSR Congress Party chief Jaganmohan Reddy has threatened to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of the bifurcation.

Resignation accepted

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on Friday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

A communiqué said Mr. Reddy had submitted his resignation on February 19. “While he accepted the resignation with effect from February 19, he requested Mr. Reddy and his colleagues in the Council of Ministers to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made.”

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday kept everyone guessing about his party’s future relationship with the BJP, now that the latter has come to be perceived in Seemandhra as “culprit number two after Congress” in the passage of the Telangana Bill.

Fielding a volley of questions at a press conference, Mr. Naidu said the saffron party did not fight the Bill properly, but he said alliances could not be decided in a fit of emotions.