The Andhra Pradesh State Assembly had to be adjourned on Friday after legislators opposed a discussion on the controversial Telangana Bill.
Shouting pro-united Andhra slogans, legislators belonging to regional Telugu Desam Party (TDP) trooped into the well of the house to demand an adjournment motion.
The TDP had moved the adjournment motion over the bifurcation issue and slammed the way in which the state and the central governments handled the matter.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders from the Seemandhara region began a two-day hunger strike to protest against the controversial Telangana Bill, after central government's approval.
“We never expected UPA government would repay in this way by dividing Andhra Pradesh which has given two successive governments. For this reason from day one even a decision, all of us have opposed the party decision and we said please change the decision. Like Congress has changed the decision when the came out with the ordinance for tainted politicians or the recent Adarsh scam issue. Similarly Congress which is in a democratic country, functioning in a democratic manner have to respect the majority opinion and definitely have to change working committee’s decision,” said Lagadapati Rajagopal, a Congress lawmaker.
Earlier, five Congress lawmakers from Seemandhra, had moved a no-confidence motion in Parliament against their own party-led governmen.
On December 5, 2013, the union cabinet cleared the parliamentary bill for bifurcating Andhra Pradesh to create a separate Telangana state, with 10 districts.
In July, the Congress party approved the creation of a new Telangana state, which had raised fears of violence in the area, home to global firms including Google.
The decision to break up Andhra Pradesh and establish a new state of Telangana comes ahead of elections next year and critics say the Congress is seeking to shore up its political fortunes after dragging its feet over the explosive issue for four decades.
The proposal was received with mixed emotions across the state, with various politicians starkly opposing the bifurcation.
Supporters, however, say Telangana's economic development has been neglected in favour of the richer and more powerful Andhra region, and that a new state is the only solution.
Hyderabad, India's sixth largest city was a bone of contention because it fell in the proposed new state carved out of the western part of Andhra Pradesh.
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