Telangana supporters hail nod for new state; YSR Cong calls for bandh in Seemandhra

Hyderabad: The ruling Congress leaders from Telangana and other statehood supporters on Thursday welcomed the Union Cabinet clearing a bill for formation of separate Telangana having 10 districts.

However, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), a strong votary of united Andhra Pradesh, assailed the decision and called for a bandh on Friday.

"We thank Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior AICC leaders for this great decision. Telangana should stand by Congress," Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy told reporters here tonight, flanked by several other Ministers from the region.

Alleging that TRS and TDP tried to target Congress in the last few days over the issue (amid reports of Rayala- Telangana), he said the credibility of Congress stands enhanced with today's decision.

Other Telangana supporters celebrated the Cabinet decision at different places in the region.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been campaigning in support of united Andhra Pradesh, described the move as 'a step towards state's destruction' and asked the people to observe a bandh in Seemandhra on Friday.

Andhra Pradesh state government employees, who have been on a prolonged strike against the state's bifurcation, too have called for a bandh on Friday.

Terming the Union cabinet's decision as "unfortunate", AP state finance minister A. Ramnarayan Reddy said that Congress leaders from the Seemandhra region would hold consultations on the issue among themselves.

In a related development, BJP claimed that some senior central government functionaries had asked the saffron party leadership to support the proposal for 'Rayala Telangana' state, which it rejected.

The Union Cabinet Thursday night gave the go-ahead for the creation of a 10-district Telangana and outlined the blueprint for carving out the country's 29th state from the current Andhra Pradesh.