The Congress and the UPA Government at the Centre are squarely responsible for the mess in Andhra Pradesh
That the political class has failed in Andhra Pradesh is seen by the present political crisis. Just for the sake of vote-banks, almost all the parties are playing politics and not caring about the lives of innocent people. The Centre as well as the Congress cannot escape the blame that it is their callous attitude which has created this mess. Did they not realise that they were playing with fire while deciding on the separate Telangana issueIJ Even the Srikrishna Commission was careful in giving six options. The Centre as well as the Congress should have anticipated the consequences.
Now, Seemandhra is burning and life has come to a standstill, reminding us of one of the earlier Telangana and Andhra agitations in the late 60s and the early 70s. The destruction to public property and danger to the lives of the common man are immense. With a reluctant Chief Minister who does not want a separate Telangana, law and order has become a huge problem. Vested interests would jump in to play havoc soon.
Historically, Telangana was part of the princely State of Nizam while the rest of the Andhra Pradesh were part of the Madras presidency. The first States Reorganisation Commission had left the issue open: That the Telangana region be constituted as a separate State with a provision for unification with Andhra State after the 1961 election. But Jawaharlal Nehru in his wisdom agreed to merge Telangana with Andhra. Since then, a demand for separate Telangana had been cropping up now and then. The Telangana Praja Samithi movement led by M Chenna Reddy was one of those making the demand, but Chenna Reddy later joined the Congress and merged his party.
Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handled the agitations with finesse and did not agree to a separate Telangana or Andhra demand. Since then, there were three Chief Ministers from Telangana region — PV Narasimha Rao, Vengala Rao and M Chenna Reddy — but none of them encouraged the Telangana movement. The other Chief Ministers, including Telugu Desam Party supremo NT Rama Rao or his successor N Chandrababu Naidu and later Congress leader YSR Reddy too were not in favour of a separate State.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi was born in 2001 when Mr Naidu sacked Mr K Chandrasekhar Rao from his party. It was the Congress, which encouraged the TRS for an alliance in 2004 poll and promised a separate State in its manifesto. But later, YS Rajasekhara Reddy crushed the TRS in the 2009 election. He also weakened the Praja Rajyam Party, which later merged with the Congress.
The dream for a separate State has been eluding the people of the region. Had Nehru agreed, the merger would not have taken place at all. Had Indira Gandhi yielded to pressure, Telangana would have born. Had M Chenna Reddy continued the agitation, the State might have been created. If Mr Naidu did not sack KCR, the TRS would not have born. Had YSR Reddy lived longer, the Centre would not have announced a separate State on the midnight of December 9, 2009. The core issue continues to be Hyderabad, where rich industrialists from Andhra have invested billions of rupees. Had the Centre not have decided to give Hyderabad to Telangana or made it a joint capital for 10 years, the agitation would not have been so violent.
So, why did the Congress-led UPA decide on Telangana when there are at least a dozen more pending demands for separate States elsewhereIJ Almost all the parties are playing for electoral gains. Andhra Pradesh had been a Congress citadel for long and had contributed to UPA1 and UPA2 assuming power. Now the Congress fears it may be wiped out if Telangana is not given. The region has 17 lok Sabha seats and 117 Assembly seats.
After a secret pact with the TRS for merger, the Congress hopes to get at least 15 of the 17 seats even if it gets no seats in the rest of the State, where the rise of YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddy is posing a threat. In the bargain the TDP is left out of reckoning. Squeezed from all sides and without an option, Mr Naidu is knocking at the doors of the BJP. It was Mr Naidu who had stalled a separate Telangana during the NDA regime.
The Congress is unable to deal with the spate of resignations from its legislators, Ministers and MPs from the Seemaandhra region. Even Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is on an open revolt over the division of the State. Having created the mess, it is the responsibility of the Centre to deal with it.