New Delhi: 8:35 pm: "It's one of the oldest demands. We have always supported Telangana. We appeal for peace in the state. Congress has done this for election," JD(U) chief Sharad Yadva said.
8:20 pm: "Today we pay our respects to all those who struggled and gave their lives for a new state of Telangana. This is a victory of people's power! Instead of facing the people of AP all these years, Congress hid behind committees and reports. Will they apologize to people of AP for this?" Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
8:00 pm: Welcoming the decision of the UPA to create separate state of Telangana, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said many people have sacrificed their lives for the cause. BJP will look at the decision and then give its reaction, he added.
7:25 pm: Congress General Secretary and Andhra Pradesh in-charge Digvijaya Singh said that decision has been made keeping in mind a long standing demand of the people of Telangana. "We have kept in mind security, water issues, liabilities, etc. All this will be considered while drafting the Bill. Modalities will be worked out for division of assets, liabilities and water resources.. The formation of Telangana cannot be compared to demand from states. Telangana will have 10 districts. In Hyderabad, there is adequate arrangement for both states to run their affairs for next 10 years," he said.
The 10 districts in Telangana are Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Medak, Nizamabad. The 13 districts of Seemandhra are Srikakulum, Vizianagaram, Vishakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Cuddapah, Chittoor, Ananthapur, Kurnool.
7:15 pm All issues and concerns of the people of Seemandhra will be addressed, says the Congress.
7:12 pm: Congress Working Committee chaired by Sonia Gandhi requested the Union Cabinet to take steps to create Telangana, says Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken. Hyderabad will be the common capital of both states for a period of 10 years, he says.
6:48 pm: TRS leader KT Ramarao said that it is impractical to keep Hyderabad as capital of Andhra Pradesh as will not have geographical connect with the rest of state after Telangana's creation. "The CWC clearing Telangana is a welcome decision. We will wait for the Bill to be passed in Parliament. Hyderabad can be an interim capital," said Rao.
6:43 pm: Sources say Telangana will have 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad will be the joint capital of Telangana and Seemandhra. The formation of the new state will take some time, sources add.
But the Bill proposing Telanagna may not be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
6:38 pm: The Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution for creation of Telangana state.
6:34 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has left for Hyderabad. The Congress Working Committee meeting at Sonia Gandhi's residence has ended.
6:08 pm: The Congress Working Committee is likely to discuss the capital issue. One proposal is to make Hyderabad the joint capital of Telangana and Seemandhra for 10 years, say sources. There will be a special Cabinet meeting on Telangana on Wednesday.
5:41 pm: The Congress Working Committee meeting on Telangana has begun. The meeting is attended by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, party General Secretary Digvijaya Singh and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
5:38 pm: YSR Congress leader DA Somayajulu claimed the Congress has been forced to take a decision on creating Telangana under political pressure. "There have been three meetings on the issue and in all of them, except the Congress, all other parties had expressed their opinions on the same. The Congress is now taking a decision because the party cannot afford any more allies to move away from the UPA. It is not a new issue, it has been a boiling issue but is an old one. It has been there in the Congress manifesto in most of the past elections," he said. Somayajulu added that several Congress leaders have left the party over the Telangana issue.
5:33 pm: TRS leader Keshav Rao said his party is happy that the UPA has taken a decision in favour of Telangana. "But we will not celebrate unless the Bill is passed in Parliament considering the Congress party's track record," he said. He added that there can be no compromise on Hyderabad and the city will be the capital of the proposed Telangana state.
"We hope now Telangana will be a reality, but we are cautious also," he added.
5:27 pm: Sources say the issue of capital for Telangana or the rest of Andhra Pradesh was not discussed and the Congress Working Committee will only discuss the timing of the process.
5:27 pm: Sources say the issue of capital for Telangana or the rest of Andhra Pradesh was not discussed and the Congress Working Committee will only discuss the timing of the process.
5:24 pm: "It was an unanimous decision in favour of Telangana," said Aviation Minister and RLD leader Ajit Singh.
5:18 pm: Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha Rao welcomed the decision. "Yes, we are very happy that UPA has cleared the pending issue. At the same time we are cautious from the last experience. The last time the Congress under pressure from Seemandhra leaders and did not take a decision."
5:12 pm:The Congress Working Committee will take the final decision. After endorsement by its allies, the Congress Working Committee is set to meet shortly.
5:00 pm: UPA has endorsed the decision to create Telangana by diving Andhra Pradesh.
4:50 pm: UPA coordination committee meeting on Telangana has ended.
4:30 pm:Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy reaches 7, Race Course Road.
4:28 pm: When asked what is going to happen on Telangana, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said please wait for sometime.
4:20 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy leaves for 7, Race Course Road.
4:17 pm: UPA coordination committee meeting on Telangana has started.
4:00 pm: The BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that his party supports Telangana and Vidarbha region demand of a separate state. "The Congress betrayed people of Telangana for 56 years, after such long wait no body believes that it will deliver the demand. We demand from the Congress to bring bill in Monsoon Session other than just making announcement," he said
Sent at 4:18 PM on Tuesday.
3:55 pm: While the Congress's political math might work to its advantage in Telangana the repercussions of the split will add to the party's troubles in Vidarbha and Gorkhaland, where demands of a separate state is also high.
3:13 pm: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde says the Telangana issue has been pending since 1956. It is before the Congress Working Committee, they may take a decision, may not take a decision. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy left for All India Congress Committee (AICC) meet.
1:31 pm: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde says the law and order situation in Andhra Pradesh is absolutely fine.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat said, "creation of Telangana looks inevitable. Need to think afresh basis of division. Creation of the state is not only the solution." Chief Minster of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said that this gives a message that if people of Jammu agitate after 10 years, then they get a separate state.
Union Minister Pallam Raju said that he has requested the party high command to take all the aspects into account before taking a final decision. "I have expressed apprehensions at this stage for the interest and development of the Andhra Pradesh. I want the decision to be fair," he said.
12:50 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy will meet Digvijaya Singh at 1.30 pm to discuss Telangana. Meanwhile, Tourism Minster Chiranjeevi said that he is trying his best to keep Andhra Pradesh as it is. He also rubbished the reports that he might resign if Telangana is made a separate state.
12:10 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of the Congress Working Committee, which is scheduled to meet at 5.30 pm on Tuesday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy along with PCC chief will also meet the PM at 4 pm. The PM will then meet Andhra Congress leaders after the UPA meet. Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Digvijaya Singh also met Sonia Gandhi.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy arrived in Delhi to express his reservation over Telangana.
11:37 am: Andhra Congress leaders to meet Rahul Gandhi at 12.30 pm to discuss Telangana. Meanwhile, Human and Resource Development Minister Pallam Raju after meeting Digvijaya Singh said that any decision on Telangana will have long term implications in Andhra Pradesh.
11:08 am: Seemandhra leaders met Congress senior leader Digvijaya Singh. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has left for New Delhi to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to express his reservation over Telangana.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said that the BJP's stand is clear on the Telangana issue. "We do not know what the Congress is doing as they have not taken us in loop. Our stand is clear, we created 3 states when we were in power, there is no question of opposing it we are in favor of it. The Congress is delaying it from a long time. They should understand it is as a very sensitive issue, there party men are speaking in different voices."
On what is likely to be the D-Day for Telangana, efforts are on to delay the decision. Late on Monday night top Congress leaders met Andhra Pradesh MPs who are in favour of a united Andhra. The MPs are believed to have told Congress leaders that they will lose if Telengana is created.
They urged Congress to defer the decision. However, sources have told CNN-IBN that Congress has said that the decision is almost taken.
Meanwhile, Andhra Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has denied reports that he is quitting. He will be in the capital on Tuesday to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi to express his reservations on Telangana.
But Andhra Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja has expressed confidence that everything will be finalised on Tuesday and has said that Hyderabad will be Telangana's capital. "Everything will be settled today. We are 100 per cent positive that Telangana is going to be a reality and Hyderabad will be the capital. There are no apprehensions and no dispute at all," Raja said.
UPA allies are likely to discuss the Congress Core Group's proposal to create a separate state on Tuesday. The Congress Working Committee is set to meet after that meeting at 5.30 on Tuesday evening where the proposal is likely to be discussed.
The CWC is then likely to pass a resolution, which may endorse creating a separate state of Telangana. The CWC resolution may address other demands for separate states and is likely to suggest setting of a state reorganisation committee.
Allies are expected to agree with the government's proposal. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is likely to explain the security repercussions of the proposal.
Amidst all the politics, security remains the top priority. An additional 1,000 paramilitary personnel have been sent to Andhra Pradesh by the Union Home Ministry to deal with any situation arising out of a decision on Telangana.
The additional forces, along with the existing 1,200 paramilitary personnel, are expected to be deployed in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions, where protests may erupt if the Centre takes a decision in favour of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh for the creation of Telangana state.
Sources said apart from the central forces, 200 personnel of the Karnataka Armed Police and 100 personnel of Tamil Nadu Armed Police are stationed in Hyderabad and its adjoining areas.
The Telangana Tangle:
Pro-Telangana:
TRS
BJP
CPI
Anti-Telangana:
CPI(M)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)
Undecided:
Congress
Telugu Desam Party
YSR Congress
(With additional information from PTI)####
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