By: J R Janumpalli
The ‘Vishalandhra’ idea, before merger of Andhra and Telangana was certainly an imperialistic political strategy of Andhra politicians. But, for many Telugu loving people on both sides of the divide, it was a genuine desire for bringing the long lost Telugu people together to forge a vibrant Telugu culture. The sentiment was there, despite the definite warning from the First SRC (Fazal Ali Commission) itself and the active opposition and skepticism from most of the Telangana people. Now, the worst fears of the skeptics have come true and even exceeded their estimates.
The reason is not very hard to find. The false superiority complex fostered by the import of English educated Seemandhras into Telangana in the beginning by the military and civil administration to help themselves and the paranoia to contain Communism, had sown the seeds of it. Urdu medium in the education of Telangana has been the bane for the local people. After independence, the slow transformation from Urdu to English because of scarce educational facilities in the hinterland of Telangana had given a handle to Seemandhras to spread and smother local administration with their imported numbers. Added to this the political majority and experience in English administration, and economic well-being because of better agriculture and large tracts of irrigated lands, had given all the essential advantages to Seemandhras.
But, despite this, if the political leadership and intelligentsia in Seemandhra acted with the spirit of understanding and a sense of egalitarian outlook, there would have been a measure of integration between the two people. Instead, they themselves have fostered the snobbery. Their inherent advantages were construed as their natural superiority over the local people. This vanity has made them to launch an assault on Telangana with a premeditated systematic exploitation for political, economic and cultural ascendency. Their political numbers and money-politics have influenced the Indian government, to make their stranglehold on ill-fated Telangana, complete. Now also, they are playing the same diabolical political game to stall the de-merger of the State.
In a democracy one hopes that a laissez-faire thinking replaces these moribund tendencies. But it did not happen. The conceited chauvinism grew in to xenophobia and is being exhibited in all its ugly forms, after 9, December 2009.The whole world knows the suppression of Telangana by these seemandhras in the united state. All the bogeys raised by them are proved wrong by Telangana people. In the Parliament all the parties except these seemandhra chauvinists recognize the abuse of Telangana and the immediate need of its demerger. Yet, these compulsive parasites do not agree to it.
The ethos of Seemandhras’ collective snobbery is an enigmatic phenomenon. There were people like Allan Octavian Hume who founded Congress party to work for the independence of India. Mrs.Annie Besant lived in India and supported Indian self-rule. French engineers laid down their lives trying to survey an irrigation project in India. CP Brown dedicated his whole life for the resurrection of Telugu literature. There are several such instances. But, our Andhra brethren who came to us with the slogan of one language and one ethnicity have behaved like the Spanish and English colonialists of history. They have rubbished our language, our culture and our intelligence. As a matter of fact, the Andhra deputationists were showing it very clearly in the administration between 1948 and 1956. Their behavior towards Telangana migrants in to Seemandhra during ‘razakar movement’ was also an indication of their attitude towards Telangana people. But as is our wont, we were very ingenuous in understanding them.
The very concept of their ‘Samaikyandhra’ or ‘Vishalandhra’ slogans, smacks off their xenophobia. The meaning of these slogans is ‘keeping Andhra united’. As it is, Telanganites never asked for the division of Andhra. As a matter of fact, they are asking for the de-merger of their pre-existing Telangana state. Hence this concept does not make any sense. But the bottom line in this chauvinistic concept is they do not recognize the very existence of Telangana. They want to obliterate the ethos of Telangana and paint over it with Andhra like they did on Telugu language.
In general, in a democracy or not, people will be campaigning for getting out of the yoke of oppression. But this Samaikyandhra propaganda by the politicians and pseudo intellectuals of Andhra is to keep Telangana people under their yoke. It is a reprehensible act by any standard and does not stand the scrutiny of any civil society.
The utterances of likes of Lagadapati, Kavuri, Parakala, TG Venkatesh et al are part of this incurable psychology. The latest braying of this Jackass Lagadapati on Osmania University and its students is the high point of this unbridled xenophobia. It is not that there are no well-meaning people in Seemandhra. But unfortunately they are in a woeful minority. The majority think that saying anything against Andhra, even if it is right, amounts to blasphemy to their ethnicity.
They are also intimidated by the jingoism of these perverts. Parakala Prabhakar’s Vishalandhra Mahasabha is a platform of these blasted jingoists. This London educated pervert should go to South Sudan to learn some basics in the elements of freedom from the yoke of oppression.
Best treatment of these perverts is ignoring them to stew in their own fascist juices. Our only answer to their antediluvian concept is fighting it relentlessly to the finish for its demise.