Telangana is a region of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It has area of 1,14,840 km2. and its population is 3,06,96,520 according to the 2001 census. The name means "land of Telugu people". It consists of the Telugu speaking parts of the state of Hyderabad. The region lies on the Deccan plateau to the west of the Eastern Ghats range, and includes the northwestern interior districts of Andhra Pradesh state. Telangana region has 10 districts. They are Warangal, Adilabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, and the state capital of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad. The Krishna and Godavari rivers flow through the region from west to east.
On December 9, 2009, the Government of India announced that the process for the formation of Telangana state will be initiated upon introduction and passage of a separation statement by the state assembly of AP. However, on December 23, 2009, the Government of India announced that the issue of a new state will be addressed only after a consensus is reached, thus effectively putting the formation of the new state in abeyance.
In December 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. The States Reorganization Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telangana region with Andhra state, despite the common language between the two.
Para 382 of States Reorganization Commission Report (SRC) said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit, public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallize itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future". Telanganas had several concerns. The region had a less developed economy than Andhra, but with a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which Telanganas feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They also feared that planned dam projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately even though Telanganas controlled the headwaters of the rivers. Telanganas feared too that the people of Andhra who had access to higher education, would have the advantage in government and educational jobs.
The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with two-third majority.
The Chief Minister of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao strongly believed majority of Telangana people were against the merger.
Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru initially ridiculed the idea of merging Telangana with the Andhra State, fearing a “tint of expansionist imperialism” in it. Later, he compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having “provisions for divorce” if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well.However, following the "Gentlemen's agreement, the central government, established a unified Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956. The agreement provided reassurances to both parties in terms of power sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.
