TDP supporters tear,burn copies of Telangana Bill

Supporters of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) tore and burnt copies of the Telangana Bill on Monday during an anti-bifurcation protest in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur District.

"We are demanding the united state of Andhra Pradesh. We are against the bifurcation of the state," said the district Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader M Subbarao.

The copies were thrown in the "Bogi fire" (Bogi festival or Bhogi is the first day of Pongal and is celebrated in honour of Indra, "the God of Clouds and Rains". Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes.)

The protesters were seen shouting slogans and holding flags during the protest. The protest was inclusive of both men and women supporters of the party.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly was adjourned after an uproar over the Telangana Bill by pro and anti-Telangana legislators over the weekend.

Legislators from Telangana, including those of the ruling Congress, stormed the Speaker's podium as the day's proceedings began and demanded that the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013, should be taken up for discussion immediately.

The legislators from Seemandhra region also created a pandemonium in the assembly, as they demanded that a resolution should be passed opposing the proposed bifurcation of the state.

On December 5, 2013, India's cabinet cleared the Parliamentary bill for bifurcating the southern province of Andhra Pradesh to create a separate Telangana state, with 10 districts.

In July last year, the ruling 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 upcoming general elections 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.