GOVERNMENT FORM NEW STATE

On 10 December 2009 the Indian government announced that a new state, Telengana, will be formed out of territory from Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located, after a wave of separatist protests in the region. Protesters have staged several large bandhs (strikes) to call for the formation of a separate state for the predominately ethnic Telugu population of northwestern Andhra Pradesh. Political leaders from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) opposition party hailed the decision, and the leader of the TRS announced that he has ended an 11-day hunger strike. Meanwhile, at least 100 members of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly -- including at least 42 from the Indian National Congress, which controls both the state and national governments -- have resigned in protest and have called for a statewide bandh.