Every time, the Congress leaders are in Telangana for any election campaign, they dramatize their speeches as if they are connected to Telangana and concerned for Telangana. But history says otherwise. It is the grand old party that has been betraying the people of Telangana since 1956.
In 1956, the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru forcefully merged the erstwhile Hyderabad state into Andhra resulting in the creation of Andhra Pradesh. The merger was against the interests of Telangana and eventually led to the first Telangana movement in 1969. The safeguards formulated during the merger were violated and the Congress leaders didn’t bat an eye.
The 1969 Telangana movement was brutally suppressed by another Congress PM Indira Gandhi. Around 369 activists were martyred during this struggle in the police action initiated by the Congress government. Later, the Congress party diluted the movement by poaching the leaders who were active in the movement.
Not just the Telangana movement, the Congress leaders have also insulted the Telangana leaders. Another Congress PM Rajiv Gandhi humiliated CM T Anjaiah at the airport for welcoming him with a troop playing drums.
Coming to the latest phase of the Telangana movement started in 2001 by KCR, the Congress party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi delayed the formation of Telangana. The party promised the creation of Telangana during the 2004 general elections but didn’t keep its word.
Succumbing to popular demand and fast-unto-death by KCR, it announced statehood to Telangana in December 2009 but went back on its decision within 15 days. The Congress party played with the emotions of Telanganites and pushed hundreds of youth towards suicide. The activists and the youth who participated in the movement were brutally tortured by the Congress government by slapping police cases. Only out of political compulsion, the Congress was forced to agree to the creation of Telangana in 2014.
Telangana state was not formed at the mercy of the Indian National Congress but it was created only due to the persistent fight put up by the people for their rights. Infact, the Congress party was responsible for the hardships endured and struggles faced by the Telangana region for six decades. The forceful merger by the Congress party in 1956 made Telangana one of the most backward areas in the country. However, things have changed after the formation of Telangana under the able leadership of CM KCR. Telangana is now the top-performing state in the country.