By: J R Janumpalli
The struggle for demerger of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh has reached a critical stage. The people of Telangana in the last 3 years since December 9, 2009 have waged a relentless war against the political suzerainty of Andhra’s majority rule and the callous indifference of Congress ‘high-command’. They have weathered the brutal suppression of their struggle and made both State and central governments lose their steam. They have methodically unearthed the gory details of the ‘organized exploitation’ of Telangana region. They have blunted the obduracy and obscurantism of both Andhra congress and its client ‘the coterie’. They created a political compulsion for Congress party and pushed them in to a tight corner, from which they cannot get out without conceding Telangana State.
Congress high-command is now caught in the claws of the pincer of TRS-TJAC campaign In Telangana and the Frankenstein’s monster YS Jagan in Seemandhra. It is, on one side, because of its filibuster on Telangana declaration made in the parliament and making a mess of political climate and state administration in the name of containing Telangana agitation; on the other, its inability to implement overly extravagant populist schemes of YSR, and mis-managing the Jagan factor. The near total rout of Congress party in the numerous by-elections in both the regions have exposed the irreparable damage occurred to the party. A virtual citadel of Congress party in South India has crumbled to its shambles in a period of just 3 years.
The stranglehold of Andhra Congress on Congress high-command via its pliant coterie, has unleashed a spate of unscrupulous political maneuvers after 9 December, 2009, against the ground realities and the genuine aspirations of Telangana people. It has resulted in the erosion of credibility of Congress Party and unabated unrest in Telangagana. It is the reason for the dysfunctional governance in the state and the unenviable state of affairs in the Congress party. It took 3 years’ time and drubbing in almost every by-election in the state for Congress high-command to understand the effect of the unholy alliance of is coterie and Andhra Congress for its double jeopardy in the two regions. The ignominious defeat of Congress party in Seemandhra by elections had sounded the death knell to Congress party. It has exposed the hollowness of Andhra congress money mafia. The loss of Subbirami Reddi with a huge margin is a particular eye opener to Congress high-command.
Yet, Andhra Congress led by Kavuri, Lagadapati, and Rayapati et al —- the modern day ‘Thugs and Pindaris, continued their arrogant mien borne out of their corrupt monetary relations with the high-command. They have openly criticized their high-command saying that it does not have the strength and courage to grant Telangana state without their consent. Whenever there was some move in favor of Telangana in their high-command they started making all kinds of arrogant and incongruent statements belittling both Telangana struggle and the Congress high-command.
The interlocutors of Congress party, who were in the pay of Andhra Congress, were fueling wrong strategy, misleading high-command on the strengths of Telangana and YSRCP. Their inputs were of the genre of pleasing the ego of high-command not the reality which can help them to solve the problem. In both the regions it proved to be counterproductive. But as the 2014 general elections started looming large within a distance of one year and the increasing strength of Telangana struggle and YSRCP, have forced Congress high-command to go in to a huddle and take a closer look and reevaluate its options.In the process they might have realized their mistake in the over reliance on Andhra congress and its own coterie for their sordid political number games.
Things were going from bad to worse and the Congress party found itself in a predicament of losing heavily in both the regions, unless it aligns itself with these forces. TRS is amenable to merger if Telangana state is given, but, alliance with YSRCP appears to be farfetched and does not sound sanguine for obvious reasons. Of course, their coming together in post-poll alliance is a possibility. Conceding Telangana will make Congress party to regain its presence in Telangana region. Implementation of Telangana declaration made in the parliament can create some salutary effect in Seemandhra region also. For, common people of Seemandhra are tired of this prolonged Telangana imbroglio and the resultant deterioration of governance. They want to end this smouldering problem to restore normalcy.
It is time for Congress high-command to come out of the evil influence of Andhra congress and its own coterie, and eschew its obsession with the political numbers. It can only increase its numbers if it acts with responsibility in addressing the genuine aspirations of people, not with endless Machiavellian maneuvers with unscrupulous Andhra politicians. The Congress Party was always partial to the self-centered and manipulative Andhra Congress in the last 56 years and allowing them to bluff their way and plunder every conceivable resource of Telangana. This time Telangana people have fully understood their immoral complicity and determined to end it now or in the 2014 elections.
Although Congress party appears to be making up its mind to salvage its position by granting Telangana, the ever crafty Andhra Congress is trying to badger their high-command with made-up and untenable demands like ‘UT’, common capital, safeguards etc. to continue their strangle hold on Hyderabad and become thorns in the flesh of Telangana. If Congress Party is still enamored of Andhra congress and grants any of these fictitious demands, Telangana people will never forgive it. They will teach the party a suitable lesson in the ensuing elections.
Therefore, for Congress party if it really understood the Telangana problem and wants to solve it to its political advantage there is no other alternative. Other than demerger of erstwhile Hyderabad state as Telangana with Hyderabad as its sole capital without, any strings attached to it for Andhra’s to play any foul play.
Enough is enough. It is time to call the bluff of these predatory Seemandhras.