India's cabinet announced the approval of the separation of a new state, Telangana, which would be divided from Andhra Pradesh (AP) and be comprised of 10 of AP's 23 districts on Oct. 3.
The announcement was immediately protested and power cuts began Sunday morning after the Power Employees' Joint Action Committee called an indefinite strike, according to the BBC. Power workers say the protests will continue until the state removes the decision to create the separate state of Telangana, which would have a population of 35 million.
Media reports published by BCC said that four AP federal ministers: M Pallam Raju, Kavuri Samba Siva Rao, Chiranjeevi and Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy have asked to resign, but their request has been denied.
The PEJAC announced on Saturday that 70,000 workers of transmission, generation and distribution companies would be joining the strike. Power generation has been cut by 4000 MW since the power workers began the strike, with a total of 13 districts being affected with: shutdown trains, non-functioning ATMs, cable TV services and petrol pumps. Over 70,000 workers had joined the strike, with 32 cancelled trains by Monday morning.
It has been a 50-year fight for separate status of Telangana based on the grounds of regional equality, and according to BBC, the creation of Telangana has been prompted by short-term electoral maneuvers, but it reflects longer term histories of political decentralization and economic change. Telangana is also being protested because it will include Hyderbad, the sixth biggest city in India, which is heavily populated with information technology and pharmaceutical companies.
The Indian parliament and state assembly both need to approve and give the final word on the creation of Telangana, but if the new state is approved, for the first 10 years it will be the first time India will have the same capital for two states. Power supply to Hyderabad and the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu have been affected, although the Minister of Power (MoS) Jyotiraditya Scindia released a statement saying they "are trying to provide 350-400 of additional power" to the affected regions early this morning.
Union Minister of State Manmohan Singh told Zee News "The government is not going to reconsider the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and creation of Telangana. The ongoing protests in the name of a united Andhra are being led by political parties which had in the past supported the idea of a new state. This is very unfortunate."
