“The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has passed a resolution for creation of Telangana and has directed the Home Ministry to follow with necessary action. We, on our part, are drafting a note for discussions in the Union Cabinet,” said the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde here on Saturday while releasing the monthly report of his ministry.

When questioned on the status of Hyderabad as to whether the city will be accorded Union Territory status or be the joint capital for both the states for 10 years or given exclusively to Telangana, the minister said : “there are several options before us.”

The Congress party on July 30 decided to carve out separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. It, however, said the city would serve as joint capital of two states for 10 years.

On the demand for bifurcation of other states, Shinde said : “there are demands by several regions in different states for bifurcation, but these are not being considered now.”

Telangana issue opened the Pandora Box of demand for separate states in different parts of the country like Vidarbha separating from Maharashtra, Kamptapur slicing off from West Bengal and Assam, Gorkhaland cutting off from West Bengal, Bodoland, Karbi Anglong and Dima Raji separating from Assam, Rayalseema bifurcating from Andhra Pradesh, Kosal (western Odisha) bifurcating from Odisha and the proposal for bifurcating Uttar Pradesh into four separate states.

Even as the Union Home Minister claimed that law and order situation in Andhra Pradesh on Telangana issue thousands of employees from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions on Saturday held a massive show of strength, urging the Congress to withdraw its decision to bifurcate the state and declaring that they are not ready to give up Hyderabad.

Lal Bahadur Stadium in the heart of the city echoed with the slogans of “Jai Samaikhya Andhra” or united Andhra as striking employees from Seemandhra, as the two regions are collectively known, turned out in large numbers to oppose Congress decision to carve out separate Telangana state.

Amid a total shutdown in Telangana called by groups fighting for separate state and unprecedented security by police and paramilitary forces, about 100,000 employees and others including women descended on Hyderabad.