India agrees to create a new state

The federal government in India has agreed to create a new state in the north and northwestern regions of Andhra Pradesh after days of violent protests and a hunger strike by a senior local politician.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram announced late Wednesday that a new state called Telangana would be created. The decision came after a series of meetings between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, the top elected official of Andhra Pradesh.

"The process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated," Chidambaram said. "An appropriate resolution will be moved in the state assembly."

The Telangana region is spread over 10 north and northwestern districts of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Demands for a separate state have erupted sporadically since the 1950s.

The people of Telangana speak the same Telugu language as the rest of Andhra Pradesh but say their region has faced years of neglect by the state government.

Eleven days ago, angry protesters took to the streets and threatened to storm the state legislature after senior regional politician K. Chandrasekhara Rao went on a hunger strike. The protesters clashed with police, who used batons to beat them back.

Rao called off his hunger strike soon after the announcement.

It's unclear when the separate state will be established.

For a new state to be created, Indian law requires a resolution to be passed by the state legislature after which a bill to amend the federal constitution has to be passed by a two-thirds majority in the national parliament.

On Thursday, hundreds of Telangana supporters celebrated the announcement with firecrackers and music.

Several parts of India — the Bundelkhand region in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha in the western Maharashtra state and Gorkhaland in the eastern West Bengal state — also face similar movements.

So far, there have been no moves by the government to create separate states in those areas.

India currently has 28 states and seven federally administered regions.