By: J R Janumpalli
Telangana State declaration was made in the Parliament on 10th December 2009. Since then, it is more than 3 years, yet, Government of India neither implements the declaration nor deserts it. On the contrary, it is enticingly dangling the decision before Telangana people and circumnavigating it Parliament session by session towards 2014 general elections. But in the process, it has managed itself to get caught on the horns of dilemma owing to its ill-advised political calculations going awry. The ensuing political drama enacted by Andhra Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its chief actors did not proceed exactly as per the script plotted by them. The emergence of their betenoir the YSRCP threw a spanner in to their works.
The Andhra Congress which was touting the promise of large number of MPs; TDP’s unscrupulous effort of riding two horses at the same time has now boomeranged on them. The two of them had to contend with the worst defeats in the hands of TRS in Telangana and YSRCP in Andhra, in all the by-elections that have occurred during these three years. The defeats of D.Srinivas, the CM aspirant in Nizamabad and Subbirami Reddy, the stalwart MP in Nellore and other TDP notables are the unmistakable pointers to this. These debacles have dented the stratagem of Congress high-command, Andhra congress and TDP, to stop Telangana state.
But, as is their wont they continued to play the unprincipled politics with the intent of suppressing Telangana Movement. Their intentions did not succeed and the Movement grew from strength to strength. Telangana region is turned in to a police garrison. Telangana legislators are intimidated and manipulated. The people are treated with reprisal as a punishment for their struggle for de-merger.
The fixation of government with Telangana tangle has adversely affected administration in Seemandhra region setting in big ant-incumbency. Now, as the general elections are looming large Congress high-command,is pushed in to the corner of a dilemma. As UPA government is running in to increasing political turbulence and the NDA’s stock appearing to be growing, virtually its hope of getting ample number of MP seats from Andhra Pradesh has become improbable now. Managing YSRCP to its side, though probable, appears to be far fetching at this stage. The prospect of winning around 15 MP seats in Telangana by granting the state and scraping up some 10 MPs from Seemandhra appear to be the best harvest for Congress in the coming general elections.
Political obduracy of Andhra Congress —- threatening trouble in the budget sessions of Parliament and state Assembly, their monetary contributions and their working on the thinking of Rahul Gandhi said to be some of the impediments for Congress high command to take a decision. There is also a school of thought that as the prospects of UPA coming to power next is doubtful, the Congress Party may not like to resolve the issue now. Some say whether it comes to power or not for its survival in this part of the country, Congress party has to take a positive decision on Telangana now. Sources from Telangana Congress and TRS facetiously believe that Congress party will be taking a positive call on Telangana in May, after the completion of Budget sessions of Parliament and State Assembly. Formalities of state formation can be completed in time before the elections. Given the track record of Congress party and the duplicity of Andhra congress during the last three years we may have to take this view with a pinch of salt.
For Congress party it is a very testing situation. The performance of UPA-II is very lackadaisical to say the least. Several acts of political indiscretion have contributed to this. Amongst that its creation and handling of Telangana imbroglio is most absurd political impropriety, especially its declaration in the Parliament on 10th December, 2009 and its more than 3 years unscrupulous dithering on it. Though it is provincial in nature, it has attracted the attention of whole nation.
All the important partners of Congress in UPA have supported Telangana and many of the opposition parties have recognized the legitimacy of Telangana demand. The transgression, has not only decimated Congress in Andhra Pradesh, it has severely eroded the credibility of the party elsewhere in the country. To try to regain its position in the country, it needs to salvage the situation in the state. The democratic propriety demands that Congress party which has stoked the fire for its own political purpose has to behave responsibly now. It has to honor the genuine aspirations and ineffable sacrifices of Telangana people and also the dignity of Parliament. It should certainly grant Telangana now before going in to general elections.
There appears to be divergent forces working on the issue of Telangana in Congress Party. Andhra Congress dominating the state government has been the main force blocking Telangana state formation. The coterie around Sonia Gandhi which is biased for Andhra Congress is making Sonia Gandhi irrationally to procrastinate and suffer the consequences of it. The Prime Minister has become a mere bystander. Rahul Gandhi with his politics is not able to appreciate the ground reality and is being influenced by Andhra congress. The Telangana Congress made impotent by their high command and Andhra Congress calculatedly, are playing a self-defeating role and have become ‘mill stones’ around the neck of Telangana.
In such a confounding situation, Sonia Gandhi should think rationally and muster enough political will to take an unequivocal decision to implement Telangana declaration, to uphold the democratic credentials of her government. Or, she can continue the procrastination, and lead Telangana Movement in to 2014 general elections and leave it there to continue the canker. The question is can she afford to abort the Telangana declaration in Parliament, whose betrayal by refuting the undying aspiration of Telangana people and the sovereignty of Parliament has brought down her party on to its knees in the state. It would be prudent if she finds an answer to this before the end of this Parliament session.