Is Andhra Pradesh waiting to explode?

Hyderabad, Dec 30: The whole of Andhra Pradesh waits with baited breath on the much-anticipated SriKrishna Report on the fate of the Telangana statehood issue. The feasibility of establishing a separate state will be studied, debated and analyzed by the committee.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao said on Wednesday, Dec 29 in a politburo meeting, "I think the government will collapse in January 2011. TRS cadres should prepare for a mid-term poll." He also expressed heightened hopes on Jagan Mohan Reddy's future in politics and commented that Jagan would sweep Rayalaseema and Andhra regions of the state, while the TRS would win at least 100 of the 117 seats in Telangana.

The Centre on the other hand is doing everything in its capacity to seek normalcy as the SriKrishna report results is out in the public. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a meeting on Wednesday that was attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony and Law Minister Veerappa Moily, wanted to "put in a contingency plan" and avoid a repeat of the violence that rocked Andhra last December.

The TRS chief's comments have sparked speculations among the Congress cadre and suspicions of 70 Congress MLA's joining the Jagan camp and of a possible merger between TRS and Jagan's unnamed party.

In a press conference by committee chairman and former Supreme Court Judge Justice B N Srikrishna said that he hoped his report could lend a amicable solution to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He also expected that all political parties in the state will accept the report and maintain peace and harmony after the report is submitted.

"I hope peace prevails in the state after the report is submitted. It is the responsibility of the politicians and the media," he added.

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