India’s plan to carve a Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh on Dec. 11 sparked statehood demands in other parts of Asia’s third largest economy in a new challenge to the Congress party-led government.
In a surprise move, the government announced on Dec. 10 that it would push for the formation of a new state after a week of violent protests and a hunger strike by a leading politician shut down business in the state’s PIB high-tech Hyderabad city.
Since independence in 1947 India has had to balance the challenges of maintaining different peoples under one federal system as well as the relationship between central power in the capital Delhi and the states of the world’s largest democracy.
The Gorkhas, ethnic Nepalis, in West Bengal called for an indefinite strike from Dec. 11 demanding their own “Gorkhaland” to protect their heritage. Other groups also made statehood demands.
The Congress party, which heads the ruling coalition, returned to power for a second term by a wider-than-expected margin in May, freeing it from the communists who scuppered many reforms in exchange for their support to the last government.
But just a little over six months into office, it has been besieged by a slew of crises, undercutting the momentum from a resounding election victory and making it harder to carry through bold promises of policy change and economic reforms.
Political agitations, such as demands for new states driven by ethnic and regional groups, is only expected to slow the pace of economic reforms as political expediency takes preference over firm governance.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Andhra Pradesh lawmakers after 128 out of the 294-member state assembly resigned in protest over the statehood move. The resignations, cutting across party lines, have yet to be accepted by the local speaker. Read More>>
Telangana state to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh
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