Joy and anger in Andhra Pradesh over Centre's nod for Telangana

HYDERABAD: TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao and other statehood supporters hailed the Union Cabinet's approval of separate Telangana while Seemandhra leaders and people expressed anguish and anger over the decision.

The pro-united Andhra employees of the state government, who are in the forefront of the agitation against division of AP, called a 48-hour shutdown in Seemandhra (coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions) from 6 AM tomorrow.

The TRS President hailed the decision but asked Telangana supporters to be "alert till the Bill for formation of the separate state is passed in both houses of Parliament".

Welcoming the decision, Andhra Pradesh Information Minister D K Aruna, who hails from Telangana, thanked UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for formation of the separate state comprising ten districts.

Several other Congress leaders from the region expressed happiness over the Cabinet's decision which comes over two months after the Congress Working Committee gave its nod to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana supporters set off crackers and celebrated the occasion at the TRS office here and elsewhere in Hyderabad, which was the epicentre of the long-drawn statehood stir.

On the other hand, the pro-united Andhra employees of the state government, who are in the forefront of the agitation against division of AP, called a 48-hour shutdown in Seemandhra (coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions) from 6 AM tomorrow.