A lesson in politics

What a difference a week makes!

This time last week, I returned from a weekend in Delhi to find Hyderabad in its second day of strikes to call for the formation of a new Telangana state. Offices were closed, streets empty, and newspapers reported on the movement's leader on a hungry strike in jail.

Only three days later -- midnight on Thursday -- the Andhra state government, headed by chief minister K Rosaiah, announced it would indeed back the proposal of a new state, thus creating Telangana from the north-western part of what's now Andhra Pradesh.

Of course, this only set in place a *process* for statehood formation, but still -- quite a big deal, to say the least! I couldn't help but think of how strangely easy it seemed for a new state to be formed... not to belittle the movement, but it was literally just a few days of strikes, all of which were announced in advance -- giving Hyderabadis time to stock up on necessities -- whether it be petrol or cash, or in the case of my friends - wine and beer.

In a strange way, last week's situation and the declaration of a new state (at least in process) highlights one key way to get things done here in India: persistence and the willingness to make others around you uncomfortable until you get what you need. As I'm learning, not only is anything possible in India, but everything is negotiable as well.

Returning once again from a weekend in Delhi, I find that the situation has only gotten worse. It's actually turned into quite a political drama, with over 100 MLAs and ministers resigning from state government, causing what many are calling a constitutional crisis. Newspapers report that the chief minister of Andhra is likely to resign, with President's Rule on the state a dawning possibility.

Headlines report that "Chaos Engulfs Angry Pradesh", with both anti-Telangana and Telangana supports becoming more violent. The key question seems what to do about Hyderabad, which is geographically in Telangana but economically, its business leaders mainly hail from Andhra.

Guess we'll have to wait and see! Never a dull moment in India...