Read the First Part of this series here: Opinion Poll in Andhra Pradesh: Not Funny Anymore
The CSDS Telangana Survey Is A Fraud – Part 2: It Can’t Get Worse Than This:
When people of Telangana and Seemandhra are ranged against each other, it will be prudent on the part of a honest survey agency like CSDS to engage researchers from the neutral academics. But, what did CSDS do when it wanted to know the opinion of Telanganites on separate statehood? It engaged a professor at Acharya Nagarjuna University named P Narasimha Rao, who is the honorary Convener/President of Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee.
For people who are not aware, Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee runs the anti-Telangana movement in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur disctrict, is one of the important centers of United AP movement. On several occasions, students and faculty of Nagarjuna University participated in various agitations in support of a united Andhra Pradesh.
Given this background, it is unfathomable how CSDS thought they could get a correct picture by involving people like Pemmasani Narasimha Rao in their recent survey.
What’s more, students of Nagarjuna University, who were sent to Telangana towns to conduct the CSDS survey, were caught red-handed trying to rig the survey on multiple occasions.
Picture: Image showing Nagarjuna University students conducting the CSDS survey, being detained by Telangana youth as they tried to fill up the questionnaires themselves
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The local youth in two towns – Mahabubabad and Vardhannapet, chased the CSDS representatives as they were trying to take down the names and addresses of illiterate locals and filling up the survey questionnaire themselves.
Pemmasani Narasimha Rao’s Doubtful Credentials:
The Professor, who was entrusted by CSDS to carry out the Telangana survey – Pemmasani Narasimha Rao is a guy of questionable character. He runs a ‘recreation club’ in Vijayawada, named ‘The Patamata Cultural and Recreation Society’.
It is a known fact that such ‘recreation clubs’ are centers of illegal activities like gambling. Read what happened at Narasimha Rao’s ‘recreation club’ in 1997.
On 19-5- 1997 at 22-30 hours, the Vijayawada Police received reliable information that certain unlawful betting activities were happening at Patamata Cultural and Recreation Society. The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada, and Sub-Inspector of Police Sri D.N.V. Prasad along with his staff raided the Patamata Cultural Club at 22-30 hours and arrested 46 persons while they were playing 52 cards by betting money and seized the 52 playing cards (Kothamukka) and an amount of Rs.19,500/- from the 46 persons and arrested them on the spot.
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It is sad that a reputable research organization like CSDS, being run by respected intellectuals like Yogendra Yadav, has engaged a person with a known bias and questionable background to conduct an important survey.
We demand that CSDS should immediately disclose all the survey questionnaires, details of respondents and also render a public apology to the people of Telangana for this grave mistake.