Large parts of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (AP) have shut down in a strike called by the supporters of a new proposed separate state, carved out of AP and containing 35 million people, BBC online reports Wednesday.
Earlier this month the government announced that it would allow the creation of Telangana – irrespective of opposition. But last week, the authorities said that decision would be considered after consultation with all parties.
K Chandrasekara Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is spearheading the protest for a Telangana state, has resigned from the lower house of parliament, along with two other MPs from the region. Fifty lawmakers from the Telangana region and belonging to the Andhra Pradesh assembly have also handed in their resignations.
Telangana will be spread over 10 northern districts of Andhra Pradesh, including the important IT-hub, Hyderabad city. It is a landlocked, predominantly agricultural area and is one of the most under-developed regions in India.
Campaigners say Telanganas econo-mic development has been neglected in favour of the richer and more powerful Andhra region – and that a new state is the only solution.
India has 28 states – the last three new states were formed in 2000: Chhattis-garh was created out of eastern Madhya Pradesh; Uttarakhand was created out of the hilly areas of northern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand was carved from Bihar’s southern districts.
