‘Andhra -Telangana Divide’ too Wide to Bridge

The present episode of Telangana struggle, as part of 54 year old arduous campaign, is surviving for the last 10 years.  Today all the 4 crore Telangana people either implicitly or explicitly expressing their ardent desire for a separate state. Yet the political leadership of Andhra does not seem to understand the anguish, behind this long drawn struggle.  They are trying to brush aside it with the same autocratic behavior of the earlier episodes. Their autocracy appears to have emanated from their political majority in the Assembly; their successes in the past against the formation of Telangana; their influence on ‘Congress High Command’, the principal entity to resolve the matter.

But, their un-abashed violations of agreements, enormous plunder of Telangana resources after 1969, have pushed Telangana region to the edge of a precipice, making these earlier factors irrelevant and insignificant. Now overwhelmingly the total population of Telangana is galvanized, in to achieving a separate state. Things have come to such a pass that the two regions living together in a united state are impracticable and impossible. It is impracticable, because of the 175 and 119 numbers equation and the contemptuous treatment and outright violation of all the earlier agreements by them. Impossible because Telangana people have made up their mind very firmly not to live with andhras in one state. Any attempt to compel them to do so, as was done earlier, would be a colossal blunder and will be a travesty of democracy. I t would certainly lead to grievous consequences and is avoidable under any circumstances.

If Andhra Politicians think that they will succeed by employing political and administrative coercion because of their superior numbers, they are on the wrong track and will lose their way this time. If they wanted to keep the state united, they should have honored the agreements and implemented them to the satisfaction of Telangana people. They should have listened to the grievances and try to understand the problems   and addressed them .They never did it. On the contrary they have plundered Telangana with a disdain, making the lives of Telangana people miserable. Even today, no Andhra MP or MLA have the moral courage to agree to the blanket violation of all and sundry agreements made with Telanagana people and accept the injustices heaped on them. Or sitting with them to discuss the problems and to find solutions, if possible. Instead, they are perpetrating the same old tactics of un-democratic coercion and call Telanagana people traitors and violators of constitution. If they know ABCD of constitution of India and if they have any elementary knowledge of democratic principles in them, their conscience would have choked them to death.

The Sri Krishna Committee by its yearlong sojourn in the state would have understood all this, if we go by the reputation of its Chairman and many members of the Committee. We all hope that the committee would advise the Central Government (or Congress Party?), to accede to the legitimate demand of Telangana people, forthwith. If not, it would be a terrible failure to recognize the voice of 4 crore people against the most ignominious oppression under the garb of majority rule for half a century in democratic India.  Congress party for once should stop its political gamesmanship and honor the will of oppressed people. The time has come for Congress Party to dissect this political ulcer created by itself without any further ado.

It is an undenying fact that, the outlook of people from Seemandhra and Telanagna regions had been very disparate.Presently, there is no scope what so ever, to span the expanse between the two regions. It has become too wide to bridge.