Telangana issue is reaching to its climax. Ofourse, when adhishtanam in connivance with andhra congress brings it to square one nobody can guess. Their ‘jugalbandi’ is so strong and their perfidious past is so notorious for such happenings. At least it appears that Telangana people are determined to take their struggle for demerger to its logical end. The political parties, in Telangana are waxing to match the present level of fervor of the people. The adhishtanam is also hard pressed for taking a decision on Telangana, because of the forced rebellion of T’Congress elements. But the decision need not be in the best interest of suffering Telangana people. Everybody knows where the love of adhishtanam lies. It is with the andhra congress that has more no. of MPs and money bags to offer.
Every day new events are cropping up on the other side of the divide to create another impasse. This is the time for Telangana people to be on guard. Because, they were duped several times in the past. Whenever they agitated for justice. Each time it was like throwing in to fire from the frying pan. Adhishtanam and andhra ‘political mafia’ are past masters in such macabre acts.
Now also they are queering the pitch for such duplicity. They are raking up all kinds of morbid reasons, either for claiming their non-existing share in Hyderabad, or thwarting Telangana people from fully enjoying, their avowed heritage. They can also make several ‘Gordian knots’, in sharing river waters,mines,power, jobs, educational facilities and whatever is to be shared in the event of a division of a state. They have already started a campaign for a ‘scientific division/National policy’, meaning no division or a division of their own liking. They are sure of the indulgence of adhishtanam in their favor. For, they cultivated it since the beginning, with the recycling of the loot they are allowed on Telangana assets. They can be liberal in sharing this loot, because it came free and would be an advance for further predation.
While this is the scenario for our ‘seasoned’ adhishtanam and andhra congress, our ‘greenhorn’ Telangana elements can find it difficult to negotiate with these scheming ‘honchos’ .Our people need a clear cut understanding of what and how, we should get in the event of division. For example, issues like ‘Hyderabad’, which is not negotiable under any circumstances; certain safe guards, which andhras have never honored but, demanding the same for themselves now and are not justified; some agreements which can become pestering ulcers in future and are to be avoided etc., there should be a kind of ‘run through’, to help them understand the intricacies and implications of those issues. Fortunately, there are more than 10 instances of divisions of state in the country. We can study their cases and learn the modalities and conventions of division of assets, and their after effects, for the guidance of our negotiators. Our andhra brothers with adhishtanam in their pockets, and their overbearing political postures, will not follow the time tested conventions, and try to get it done in their own way, for their definite advantage. If we have a run-through in to the case studies of all the states that have divisions in them after independence and correlate them to our present issues, it would be a great guide book for our leaders and common public.
This time around, whatever agreements are made, after all this struggle for the last one decade and the sacrifice of about 600 youth, should have the approval of the public. They cannot be made clandestinely, in the back rooms. For our congressmen, (for that matter any politician) though toeing the line of public under duress, can compromise our cause, if the adhishtanam arm twists them behind the scenes. The decisions should be clearly transparent. There is utterly no need to give any unconventional safeguards or concessions. In fact, andhras need pay reparations for the inestimable ‘organized exploitation’ made during the last 54 years. To ensure a clear understanding of the nuances of division, our apolitical, educated sections like Telangana Development Forum (TDF), and Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika should make effort to compile the case studies of the states hitherto divided and provide clear cut propositions relevant to our issues in the event of creation of Telangana state. It will provide necessary guidelines to the negotiators and a clear perspective to the common public, which is very essential, to avoid the grievous mistakes we have made earlier. TDF, if we go by its earlier efforts like in regard to SKC report etc., has requisite credentials to do this job.
J R Janumpalli