Redeeming the Telengana Pledge

By: Puni Modoli *

The issue of Telengana state had been outstanding for more than half a century but it is heartening to note that the congress party has at last stood up to redeem its pledge made to the Telengana people and the country years ago as per the UPA manifesto of 2004.

The congress was the major partner of the alliance then when K.C. Rao and his TRS contributed 6(six) MPs to the UPA kitty to the Lok Sabha. However, the congress partys reluctance to stand by its commitments after settling firmly in the seat of power surprised many.

Shri. K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his TRS MPs resigned from the Lok Sabha by the 4th year of the term of the house in utter frustration against the congress led UPA Governments failure to honour the Telengana pledge. In hindsight, had KCR and his TRS members not resigned from the Lok Sabha when they did but lasted till the July 2007 trial of strength for the UPA would not have been so ugly as the 6 MPs of TRS would have rendered a fait-accompli against the no trust motion of the opposition NDA.

Telengana would have already been a reality and the congress would not have suffered the loss of face as it did. However, the print and electronic medias recent lack-a-deistical hype that the congress led UPA merely succumbed to the fast unto death protest of KCR by the 11th day and that this will lead to a domino effect across the country for similar demands, is mischievous at its best and cannot be further from the truth.

In the first case it is essential to note that the history of Telengana stretched beyond 1947. So in 1955, when the Indian States were created in a certain hurry on the basis of regional language boundaries, there was a rider from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then premier of India, that the Telengana state could be created at a later date.

The people and leaders from the Andhra coastal region who were more advanced and powerful than their fellow Telegu brethren of Telengana did not want to part with Telengana or rather Hyderabad, which was till recently an independent princely state under the Nizam of Hyderabad. The wealth of the Nizam was then legend and considered one of the riches monarchs in the world in his time.

When the British left India in 1947 the state of Hyderabad under the Nizam, was an independent princely state outside India with roughly the area that is now proposed for Telengana state. It was left to Sardar Patel, the iron man of India to overrun Hyderabad later with the Indian military and annex Hyderabad as part of independent India.

Such was the fate of many independent princely states in the country, Manipur being one of them. Goa the then Portuguese principality was the last territory to be incorporated into the Indian Union in 1961 after several days of military siege. The Telengana issue did not start or end with KCRs fast unto death protest.

In the latter case, Telengana had a history and an identity of their own which they want to preserve. Its status and position has been understood and accepted by the Indian leadership since 1947. The Media claim that the creation of Telengana would create a domino effect is therefore drawn from a very weak simile and is in the realms confusing history with wish horses.

Recent demands for separate states across the country are borne out of the political ambitions of local politicians and their lifelong dream of becoming Chief Ministers in their lifetime.

In other cases unfortunately, it is the political parties out to score browny points against each other and embarrass the ruling party at the centre. In yet other cases it is the attempts of the regional sataraps to hold onto their areas of influence.

The recent mass resignation of MPs and MLAs from the Rayalaseema and Andhra coastal regions cannot deter the formation of Telengana State rather it reaffirms it. What has also been exhibited is that the rest of present day Andhra Pradesh is still not yet ready to give Telengana its due if they can help it.

However, the resignations are not seen as creating a constitutional crisis but more of accepting the reality and indulging in damage control for future political ambitions. It is construed as local state politicians reaching out to their respective constituencies for fear of being misreported or misunderstood , to keep them in good stead and on the right side with the people come the next hustings which may happen sooner than later.

The agitations in Andhra Pradesh post Central Governments assurances for a separate Telengana state are therefore aimed more at their constituencies and less as resentment against the proposal. The road to Telangana state had not been without violence. The Peoples War Group was active for decades in the regions.

We owe it the regional leadership who chose to strive for their goal in the democratic and constitutional manner albeit a few flare-ups here and there. The present situation is the culmination of more than half a century of the just demands of the people.

On attaining statehood the people of the region having achieved their cherished aspirations has every reason to abjure violence and can look forward to a future of peace and prosperity.

To quote the recent statement of the Union Finance Minister and Senior Congress Leader Shri Pranab Mukherjee "There is no question or justification to equate other statehood demands with that of Telangana- Telengana model is not applicable everywhere".

In other words the Telengana issue is unique and to be dealt with in a unique manner.