Indias governing Congress Party on Friday faced a fierce backlash against plans to divide one of the countrys largest states, Andhra Pradesh, as opponents of the partition staged protests in central India, even as advocates for the creating other new states began agitating in different regions of the country. The political crisis in Andhra Pradesh has dominated the news in India this week, as government leaders in New Delhi unexpectedly agreed late Wednesday night to initiate the process of creating a new state out of the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. National leaders made the decision in response to a 10-day hunger strike by K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a statehood activist, that evolved into a national melodrama as his health steadily deteriorated. But even as Telangana supporters were rejoicing in the streets on Thursday, the political crisis shifted as protests by students and others opposing partition erupted elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh. Indian media reported that at least 93 members of the state assembly in Andhra Pradesh either tendered their resignations in protest, or threatened to do so. At the same time, Congress leaders in Delhi seemed to backpedal a bit by saying that a broad consensus would be required to pursue statehood. The question now being debated by political observers is whether the Congress Party president, Sonia Gandhi, made a mistake by acceding to the Telangana demands. Indian media reported that statehood advocates in different areas have commenced hunger strikes or have begun agitating that their regions, too, should merit becoming states. The architecture of Indias political system has been evolving since the country became independent in 1947. Initially, leaders used linguistic divisions to carve out large states, but as the country has continued to grow, new states have been gradually added in response to different claims. Three new states were added in 2000, bringing the total to 28 states and seven territories controlled by the national government. Even now, some Indian states are larger than most countries, notably Uttar Pradesh, with more than 160 million people. Andhra Pradesh itself has more than 77 million people and stretches over a huge swath of land along the countrys southeastern coast. It was born from a political shotgun marriage in 1956, as leaders in New Delhi merged the coastal regions with the interior region of Telangana, which also included the city of Hyderabad. The arrangement was conditional to ease the fears of discrimination or exploitation by people from the Telangana region, who were outnumbered in the new state. But in the decades that followed, Telangana advocates say the promises of equitable treatment were never fulfilled. Riots broke out over the issue in 1969, and a statehood movement simmered for decades until it finally exploded this week after Mr. Rao, a regional political figure, began his fast-unto-death. Mr. Rao, citing Gandhi, threatened to die if leaders in New Delhi did not grant statehood for Telangana. Telangana students demonstrated for statehood, and a two-day general strike called by Mr. Raos political party effectively shut down the city of Hyderabad. With the Indian media camped outside Mr. Raos hospital room, reporting on his deteriorating health to the nation, Congress leaders in New Delhi agreed to start the process for creating a new state. As yet, that process has not been fully defined, but Telangana supporters took to the streets to celebrate, even as opponents began their own protests. Andhra Pradesh had already been in political upheaval after the September death in a helicopter crash of the states powerful chief minister, Y.S. Reddy. Mr. Reddy had managed to tamp down the Telangana statehood movement, but now his successor, K. Rosaiah, is facing a crisis. (NYT)