Andhra Pradesh State, India

To demand a separate state for Telugu-speaking people of the Madras Presidency, Potti Sreeramulu undertook a prolonged fast in 1952 and died on 15 December 1952, becoming an enduring symbol of the Andhra statehood movement.

The Andhra State Act, 1953 provided for the creation of Andhra State, which came into existence on 1 October 1953. It comprised eleven Telugu-speaking districts transferred from Madras State, with Kurnool as its capital. The Andhra State became the principal territorial component that was later combined with Telangana to create Andhra Pradesh.

On 1 November 1956, the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 came into effect and the Telugu-speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad State was transferred to Andhra, resulting in the formation of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad became the capital of the enlarged state.

The decision to merge Telangana with Andhra followed political negotiations between leaders of the two regions and the wider national process of reorganising states. The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956 provided safeguards intended to protect Telangana's regional interests.

The Gentlemen's Agreement was concluded between leaders representing Andhra and Telangana before the formation of Andhra Pradesh. It was signed on 20 February 1956 in New Delhi as part of the political arrangements accompanying the proposed merger.

The agreement involved representatives from both regions, including B. Gopala Reddy, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, Gouthu Latchanna, and Alluri Satyanarayana Raju from Andhra, and Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, K. V. Ranga Reddy, M. Chenna Reddy, and J. V. Narsinga Rao from Telangana.

The agreement contained safeguards intended to protect Telangana's interests, including provisions concerning:

• Regional expenditure and development.
• Representation and administration of the Telangana region.
• Employment protections and the continuation of relevant local-residence safeguards.
• A separate regional mechanism for considering Telangana's development and administrative interests.
• Arrangements concerning the use of Urdu and the language requirements of the region.

Disputes over the implementation of safeguards and concerns about regional development and employment contributed to political discontent in Telangana. The agreement therefore became an important reference point in later Telangana political movements.

Andhra Pradesh consisted of three broad historical and geographical regions:

• Coastal Andhra: The coastal region along the Bay of Bengal, extending broadly from Srikakulam in the north to Nellore in the south. It had extensive agricultural areas supported by major river systems and irrigation networks. Important crops included rice, sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton.
• Rayalaseema: The southern and southwestern inland region, historically comprising districts such as Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, and Kurnool. The region has a relatively dry climate and a distinctive political and cultural history.
• Telangana: The northern and northwestern portion of the united state, formerly part of Hyderabad State. It possessed a distinctive historical and cultural identity and significant natural resources, including the Singareni coalfields and portions of the Godavari and Krishna river basins.

These regions had different historical backgrounds, patterns of irrigation and agriculture, economic structures, and cultural traditions. Regional differences in development, employment, political representation and public investment later became important issues in Telangana politics and the movement for separate statehood.

Andhra Pradesh was a state of the Republic of India, governed through a parliamentary system with a Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers and Legislative Assembly. Hyderabad served as the capital of the united state.

• First Governor (1956–1957): Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi
• Last Governor of the united state: E. S. L. Narasimhan
• First Chief Minister: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
• Last Chief Minister before President's Rule: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy
• Area: Approximately 275,045 km² in the 2011-era geographical profile of undivided Andhra Pradesh
• Population: 84,665,533 according to the 2011 Census-era figure for undivided Andhra Pradesh

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh was established at Hyderabad on 1 November 1956 through the amalgamation of the Hyderabad High Court and the Andhra High Court at Guntur. Justice Koka Subba Rao became its first Chief Justice.

The administration was organised into districts and other local administrative units. The three broad regions – Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, and Telangana – differed in their historical administrative arrangements and patterns of development.

From the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 until the state's bifurcation in 2014, the state was governed by a succession of Chief Ministers, with periods of President's Rule. The sequence below follows the official Andhra Pradesh government listing, including repeated terms.

• Agriculture: Agriculture was a major component of the state's economy. Rice, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, groundnut and other crops were important, with irrigation from the Godavari, Krishna, Pennar and other river systems supporting agricultural production in several regions.
• Industry: The state developed important industrial centres including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada and other urban and industrial areas. Hyderabad developed major pharmaceutical, defence, biotechnology and information-technology industries.
• IT Development: Hyderabad emerged as a major information-technology centre during the 1990s and early 2000s. The development of HITEC City and the growth of companies in the city's technology sector contributed significantly to this transformation.
• Infrastructure: Major infrastructure included the Visakhapatnam Port, irrigation projects such as Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam, road and rail networks, and the expansion of Hyderabad's urban infrastructure.
• Regional Development: Economic development was uneven across the three regions. Differences in irrigation, employment, public investment and development became important issues in regional politics, particularly in Telangana.

• Languages: Telugu was the principal official language of the state, while Urdu had an important historical and cultural presence, particularly in Hyderabad and Telangana. Telugu literary traditions were extensive, and Telugu was recognised as a classical language of India in 2008.
• Religion: The population included Hindu, Muslim, Christian and other religious communities. Hyderabad in particular developed a distinctive composite cultural tradition often described as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
• Arts and Culture: The state was associated with classical and folk traditions including Kuchipudi, as well as the architectural heritage of the Kakatiya, Qutb Shahi and other historical periods.
• Heritage: Important monuments included the Charminar, Golconda Fort, Thousand Pillar Temple, Warangal Fort, and the Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati. The Ramappa Temple in Telangana was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
• Cuisine: The state encompassed diverse culinary traditions, including Hyderabadi Biryani, Hyderabadi haleem and a wide range of Andhra and Telangana cuisines.

The modern movement for a separate Telangana state developed through several phases, beginning with the major 1969 Telangana agitation and continuing through later political movements until Telangana became a separate state on 2 June 2014.

• 1969: Jai Telangana Movement: A major agitation emerged in Telangana, involving students, employees and political leaders. The movement raised demands concerning regional safeguards, employment, development and implementation of the protections associated with the 1956 merger.
• 1970s–2000s: The demand for separate Telangana continued intermittently through political organisations and movements, including the later formation of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
• 2001: TRS Founded: K. Chandrashekar Rao founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on 27 April 2001 with the objective of achieving a separate Telangana state.
• 2009: Renewed Statehood Movement: KCR began an indefinite hunger strike on 29 November 2009. On 9 December 2009, the Union Government announced that the process for forming a separate Telangana state would be initiated.
• 2010–2014: Legislative Process: The Sri Krishna Committee was constituted in 2010 to examine the situation and consult stakeholders. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 February 2014 and by the Rajya Sabha on 20 February 2014.

On 2 June 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 came into force and the existing State of Andhra Pradesh was reorganised into the State of Telangana and the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh.

Under Section 5 of the Reorganisation Act, Hyderabad was designated as the common capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period not exceeding ten years. The statutory common-capital period therefore extended up to June 2024. Hyderabad subsequently remained the capital of Telangana, while Andhra Pradesh's capital arrangements developed separately.

The bifurcation marked the end of the united Andhra Pradesh that had existed since 1 November 1956, a period of nearly 58 calendar years and 57 years of continuous existence before the appointed day of bifurcation.

Legacy:

• The creation of Andhra State in 1953 and the subsequent formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 were important milestones in India's linguistic reorganisation.
• The 1956–2014 period witnessed major political, economic, social and cultural developments across Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana.
• Regional differences in development, irrigation, employment and political representation contributed to recurring regional movements, particularly the Telangana movement.
• The 2014 reorganisation created two Telugu-speaking successor states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad continuing as Telangana's capital.

• 19 October 1952: Potti Sreeramulu begins his fast for a separate Telugu-speaking state.
• 15 December 1952: Potti Sreeramulu dies after his prolonged fast.
• 1 October 1953: Andhra State is formed with Kurnool as its capital.
• 20 February 1956: Gentlemen's Agreement concluded between representatives of Andhra and Telangana.
• 1 November 1956: Andhra Pradesh is formed by combining Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad State.
• 1969: Major Jai Telangana agitation takes place.
• 1972: Jai Andhra movement develops in the Andhra region.
• 27 April 2001: K. Chandrashekar Rao establishes the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
• 29 November 2009: KCR begins an indefinite hunger strike demanding separate Telangana statehood.
• 9 December 2009: Union Government announces that the process for forming a separate Telangana state would be initiated.
• 2010: Sri Krishna Committee is constituted to examine the situation in Andhra Pradesh.
• 3 October 2013: Union Cabinet approves the proposal to create Telangana.
• 18 February 2014: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill is passed by the Lok Sabha.
• 20 February 2014: Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha.
• 1 March 2014: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act receives Presidential assent.
• 2 June 2014: Telangana is formed and the residuary Andhra Pradesh comes into existence.