As the news of lok Sabha passing the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Bill by a voice vote was flashed on the news channels, celebrations broke out across Hyderabad and other nine districts of Telangana region.
Telangana people, facing a nerve wrecking suspense for past several weeks, danced, sang and sprinkled colour on each other and burst crackers to celebrate the historic event of getting back their own State after a gap of 58 years.
It was in November 1956 that Telangana had lost its identity as it was merged with Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra to form Andhra Pradesh as a state for “Telugu speaking people”. Formation of Telangana state is now a mere formality as the Bill is certain to be passed by the Upper House within two days. later, it will go to the President for his assent to become a law. Thousands of people gathered outside the headquarters of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), the champion of separate state for nearly one and half decades and shouted slogans of “Jai Telangana”. Some were beating the drums and others were throwing the pink colour powder in the air to celebrate the occasion.
“I am dedicating this victory to Martyrs of Telangana”, said Prof Kodanda Ram, convener of Telangana Joint Action Committee, which led the mass movement for separate state. “I congratulate the people on this auspicious occasion”.
In an attempt to assuage the sentiments of the people of Seemandhra he said, “We are separating as regions but will live together in peace as brothers”. He thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley for their efforts to get the bill passed. “It was all possible due to the leadership of KCR’, said one emotional youth Rajinder Kumar referring to the TRS founder and president K Chandrashekhar Rao’s struggle for Telangana state.
Similar celebrations were also held at Martyr’s Memorial near the state assembly, built in memory of 300 odd people who died during 1969 movement for separate state. Students of Osmania University also celebrated the “victory” at the sprawling campus, which often witnessed pitched battles between the students and the police force over the past several years. Students of Kakatiya University took out a victory procession in their campus I Warangal, another hotbed of Telangana movement. The students also garlanded the statue of Chary, a student who had committed suicide for Telangana.
“We can never forget the sacrifices of more than 1000 youth and students who committed suicide for Telangana state during last five years”, said Raja Rao, one of the participants at the celebrations in Warangal city. Even as the details of the historic Telangana bill were yet to emerge, celebrations were reported from all the district headquarters and major towns from Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Mehubnagar to Medak, Nalgond and Khammam.
“I had promised to set foot only in Telangana state and it is fulfilled”, said TRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao who had left for New Delhi earlier this month declaring that he will come only after Parliament passes Telangana bill. K Venkat Reddy, a former minister and Congress leader from Telangana said, “This is victory of not one person but all those people who fought for the separate state”. He pointed out that the Congress leaders from Telangana region and the BJP also fought for Telangana state.
Meanwhile an air of gloom descended on 13 districts of Seemandhra region and their political leaders were shocked over the dramatic turn of events today. The efforts of central Minister and MPs from Seemandhra region to stall the proceedings of Parliament and derail the process came to a naught as after several adjournments of lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar decided to complete the formalities ignoring the noisy interruptions and protests. The Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj spoke on the bill when the House met at 3 pm. Though Seemandhra MPs along with Trinamool Congress members rushed to the Well of the House and one MP even uprooted the mike of the Speaker, the proceedings continue and the bill was passed by voice vote in flat 23 minutes.
The people across Andhra Pradesh waited keenly to watch the historic debate on Telangana bill in parliament from the morning to know the stand of different parties. But when the moment came the lok Sabha TV channel went blank. Apparently the Speaker decided to stop the telecast in view of the trouble in the House. As the news came that the bill was passed, N Rajkumari, a firebrand TDP leader from Andhra sitting in front of cameras in a studios of a local channel, broke down. “What will happen to Seemandhra and its peopleIJ Why this injustice with usIJ” she asked wiping the tears.
A similar air of uncertainty and tension was prevailing across Seemandhra region where the police and para military forces went on alert to prevent any untoward incident. Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who actively campaigned to stop the Telangana bill, told the media in New Delhi today that the Congress had violated the constitution and misused its article 3 to divide Andhra Pradesh. “Congress has always behind in unconstitutional and undemocratic ways. It has stifled the voice of the people”.
Though BJP supported the bill in lok Sabha, its leaders were critical of the manner in which it was done. Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu described it as a “dark day”. “House was proceedings were conducted by keeping the people in dark”, he said. YSR Congress President Jaganmohan Reddy, who led a sit in protest in New Delhi, reiterated his allegation that Sonia Gandhi divided Andhra Pradesh to help her son Rahul Gandhi in becoming the Prime Minister. “It was all done for political benefit”, he said.
Union Home Ministry directed the state Director General of Police B Prasad Rao to take all the necessary precautionary measures and assured him to send more forces if need be. About 70 companies of paramilitary forces were on high alert in Seemandhra region especially in the major cities of Vijaywada, Visakhapatanam, Vizianagaram, Anantapur, Kadapa and Kurnool. Strict security arrangements were made at the offices of Congress and the BJP as well as the houses of political leaders in Seemandhra region. Security was also tightened in Hyderabad and surrounding areas where an uneasy calm was prevailing in the areas dominated by settlers from Seemandhra region.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was closeted with his aides and loyal ministers at his camp office, when the bill was passed, delayed his resignation by one day. He has convened a press conference on Thursday morning where he was likely to announce his next move and submitted his resignation to the governor ESl Narasimhan. According to the sources CM has informed the ministers and MlAs from Seemandhra region to join him in tendering resignations from the Congress party tomorrow.
But one minister Ganta Srinivas Rao faxed his resignation to the governor today itself. Another minister E Pratap Reddy from Kurnool wrote a letter to the governor demanding that his pending resignation should be accepted forthwith. Two MlAs from Andhra region - Ramannamurthy Raju alias Kanna Babu from Yellamanchali and Thota Trimurtulu from Ramchandrapuram resigned from primary membership of Congress party. Another rebel Congress MlA J C Diwakar Reddy said that he would resign tomorrow.
If CM resigns tomorrow a very few Ministers and MlAs were likely to join him. All indications suggest that Andhra Pradesh was heading for President’s Rule as no other leader was ready to shoulder the leadership responsibility at this critical juncture.