Telangana supporters dance to celebrate after the Lok Sabha passed a proposal to split Andhra Pradesh and create the new state of Telangana, in Hyderabad yesterday.

Agencies/New Delhi


India’s lower house yesterday passed a contentious proposal to split Andhra Pradesh and create the new state of Telangana amid chaotic scenes and uproar in parliament from opponents of the bill.
The state capital Hyderabad, where Google, Microsoft and Dell have major sites, will remain the common capital for the two states for a period of 10 years if the bill is passed in the upper house.
Lawmakers from Andhra Pradesh’s prosperous coastal region have repeatedly protested in parliament over the division, with one legislator even firing pepper spray last week. Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the Lok Sabha, the lower house, three times after disruptions yesterday.
“This is a black day in the history of this country and we’re declaring a bandh (shutdown) tomorrow in Andhra Pradesh in protest,” said Jagan Mohan Reddy, a lawmaker from coastal Andhra Pradesh.
“The bill was passed in parliament today against the will of the (Andhra) assembly, against the will of the people of Andhra Prdesh,” Reddy said.
The Andhra Pradesh state assembly had rejected the bill last month.
“Today we saw how undemocratically the bill has been passed ... The way the proceedings took place, the way the ayes and noes were called by the speaker very clearly showed how democracy can be killed in broad daylight,” Reddy said.
The passage of the bill, moved by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, took a total of 90 minutes.
Critics, including Congress minister D Purandeswari and Communist Party of India (Marxist) members, massed near the speaker, some shouting slogans and others holding placards against the state’s division.
But they and others opposed to the state’s division were simply ignored as amendments to the bill were taken up and then the bill was finally declared passed by the lower house.
Some members including those from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Janata Dal-United were seen walking out from the house when the bill was passed.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi watched the proceedings with visible dismay. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not present.
The decision to break up the southern state was made ahead of elections due by May. Critics say the ruling Congress Party, which proposed the bill and leads a coalition government, is seeking to shore up its political fortunes after dragging its feet over an issue that has lasted four decades.
Supporters say Telangana’s economic development has been neglected in favour of the richer and more powerful coastal region and that a new state is the only solution.
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the frontrunner in the national election race, voted in favour of the bill, allowing it to pass. It still needs approval in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, by Friday, when parliament’s final session before the election ends.
Such was the mood yesterday that roads leading up to parliament in the heart of Delhi were blocked and paramilitary troopers deployed. In Telangana, supporters celebrated on the streets on hearing the news.
Apart from the emotional reasons for opposing the division of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad was also a bone of contention as it fell in the proposed new state carved out of the western part. India’s sixth largest city, it is also one of its most prosperous and a big generator of revenue.
The regional Telangana Rashtra Samithy party that has been fighting for a separate state would likely merge with Congress in the new entity. Congress may stand to benefit as it could gain parliamentary seats in Telangana in a show of gratitude for statehood.

Parliament TV feed cut during vote

The live broadcast of proceedings in the parliament was suddenly halted yesterday shortly before lawmakers supported the controversial bill to create the country’s 29th state. Days after the parliament was adjourned when one lawmaker opposed to the creation of Telangana state squirted pepper spray, there was fresh uproar when the live feed was cut shortly before the crunch vote. While there was no official explanation for the blackout, the NDTV news channel said the decision was made by Speaker Meira Kumar who feared a repeat of last Thursday’s chaos, which was widely described as a disgrace to democracy. TV networks said it was the first time the live feed had been cut since parliamentary proceedings began being televised two decades ago.