It was a day of hectic political activity on Friday both in Hyderabad and New Delhi. Resignations, announcement of indefinite fast, shutdown in several regions and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s going into a huddle with his Cabinet colleagues hogged media space. This is besides cautious jubilation in Telangana region.

Several union ministers announced their resignations from their posts in protest against what they termed as the hasty manner in which the bifurcation of the state was dealt with by the UPA government. A day earlier the Union Cabinet had given the green signal for the formation of Telangana state.

Those who quit miniterial posts included Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, M. M. Pallam Raju, K Chiranjeevi, Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, K. Krupa Rani and Daggubati Purandewhwari, all from Seemandhra region.

Similarly, Congress MPs from the region V. Arun Kumar, Ananta Venkatarami Reddy, Sabbam Hari and Sai Pratap Reddy also announced their resignation from the posts as well as from the party following the decision to divide the state.

Some more ministers and lawmakers from the two regions are expected to put in their papers soon in view of the mounting public pressure on them to express their solidarity with the two-month old anti-bifurcation agitation.

Pallam Raju, speaking to media persons after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said: “My decision to resign was taken after giving it careful thought, and not in haste. It is a very sad day for Andhra Pradesh and I am anguished by the haste in which the decision to bifurcate the state was taken.”

In Hyderabad, YSR Congress (YSRC) President Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, expressed his anguish over the developments.

He said that he would launch a three-day indefinite strike from Saturday to focus attention on the people against what he termed as injustice being meted out to Seemandhra region. Jagan, who was released on conditional bail last week after spending 16 months in jail in connection with various graft cases, said he would undertake the fast in front of his party office in the upmarket Jubilee Hills area.