Supporters of the creation of a new state in southern India vowed Saturday to step up protests unless the government comes up with a clear "time frame" for implementation of the contentious plan. Their statement came days after New Delhi said the partition of Andhra Pradesh to create the proposed new state of Telangana needed more consultation following a fierce political backlash.
"If the centre does not start the statehood process by Monday, the protests will be intensified," said C. Kodandaramhe, the head of the Joint Action Committee, which is spearheading the drive for Telangana state. "We will stage an indefinite strike starting Tuesday (in the 10 districts of Telangana)," Kodandaramhe told reporters, demanding a "clear timeframe" for the state's creation.
Telangana, which covers much of Andhra Pradesh's poor tribal belt, includes the high-profile software city of Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh has been rocked by frequent, sometimes violent protests for and against the creation of Telangana since the national government's initial announcement in mid-December in favour of the new state. Andhra Pradesh is India's fifth-largest state in terms of territory.
On Saturday, protesters supporting the new state staged rallies in parts of Telangana but there was no violence, police said. The decision to approve the long-standing demand for statehood came after a regional politician, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, staged a hunger strike. The move has spurred demands for statehood by other regional groups in ethnically diverse India which also has a host of separatist movements.
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