By: J R Janumpalli
Telangana movement has become a war of attrition. The effort of T-Congress MPs is part of this war. Their suspension indicates how much irritation this group has caused to our ‘ruling coterie’. The actions of these MPs may be some real and some drama, yet, they have become a pain in the neck of this ‘coterie’. The reported hyper hustle and bustle of Madam Gandhi in this episode explains it all. Out of many reasons for the attrition, the incessant phobia of Sonia Gandhi for Telangana appears to be the main one.
In the bizarre political drama played by Congress Party since 9, December 2009 the suspension of Congress MPs from Telangana in Parliament is one more act. Whenever some heat is generated for Congress in Telangana, or the Parliament is in session ,the minions of ruling coterie indulge in theatrics, to suggest that Congress party and Sonia Gandhi are positively considering Telangana issue. When parliament session is over, it is curtains on Telangana and the MPs are left to fend for themselves. The sinisterly stern face of Sonia Gandhi; the Machiavellian machinations of Ahmad Patel & Pranab Mukherjee; the tongue in cheek mendacity of Azad all are the parts of the coterie’s script to take Telangana issue beyond 2014. The irony is that, the script is being played time and again repeatedly during the last two and half years despite very bad consequences of it for congress party. Even the common man on the street can understand this.
The state is run by proxy from the center. The Governor and CM have become willing accomplices of ‘coterie rule’. The state administration is in shambles. The financial position of the state is precarious. All the ‘hair brained schemes’ launched by the incumbent CM have gone hay wire. The dithering and cavalier treatment of Telangana has become counterproductive. It has affected the total governance of the state. The recent by election results have clearly shown the reaction of the people to the lopsided functioning of the state government. These results in Telangana and the T-Congress MLAS’ often repeated , refrain that Telangana issue is in the per view of the center , have left no choice for the MPs.Whether under compulsion or on their volition, they tried to do their duty. But it was not to the liking of adhishtanam.
They are seized with the by elections rather than Telangana.They think that they can still salvage the elections with their run of the mill farcical schemes like rachchabanda, prajapatham; sending new emissaries to the state on voyages for votes; promise of political posts etc., But, the liquor scam, electricity tariff hike, drinking water scarcity, Power cuts etc. are hovering on the head of the state government like Damocles’ swords. The party is fractured in to groups. There is no confidence in the state party of winning the by elections. Some chosen candidates are refusing to contest. The stock of the Congress party in the state is at the lowest ebb. This is all because of the vicious assault on the most democratic demand of Telangana people. The single point agenda of administration in the state during the last two and half years was suppression of Telangana movement by hook or by crook. This obsession has made the administration in effective even in Andhra region also.Now, the suspension of their own T-MPs, to send a message to Andhra electorate that Congress party will not give Telangana, is a clear case of political bankruptcy.
The undemocratic and ham handed approach of Andhra political mafia and Sonia’s coterie, has its ramifications. Not only in the state but in the country itself. For, by this time the angst and the brutal treatment of Telangana have spread far and wide. In parliament all the opposition parties know what is happening in Telangana. The people in different parts of the country are watching the unethical intransigence of Congress Party. It is inevitable that, this will reflect in some measure in the poll outcome for Congress party anywhere in the country. We could see some of it in the last assembly elections in the states. Within the state it is fully evident in Telangana; In Andhra also the tide has turned against Congress in favor of Jagan.
While the ground reality is like this, why Sonia Gandhi opposes Telangana formation so vehemently is the million dollar question. Let us ponder over some of the plausible reasons.
1. Is the hold of Andhra money mafia so strong that, she is held for ransom on Telangana? (She is always silent on the shenanigans of crafty andhra congress legislators while she treats with contempt the sheep like T-congress followers.)
2. Does she fear that she cannot manage the political fallout after the demerger of Telangana? (There is no evidence that she had earnestly discussed Telangana issue in detail with either the bullying Andhra or subservient Telangana congress legislators.)
3. Does she have a personal grudge against KCR for embarrassing her with Telangana imbroglio? And is loathe losing to him. (For, she or her coterie have never made any serious attempt to discuss the matter with KCR)
4. is it because of her mediocrity, lack of political acumen; she has become a hostage to her own coterie? (For, several things have gone wrong for her family oligarchy, because of the coterie’s bad strategy).
4. Is it the Italian way of doing things. (The style of functioning of UPA-2 is not exactly the same Parliamentary democracy we were practicing since independence).
5. Is it a combination of all of the above or/and something more that is the reason for her Telangana phobia?
Sonia Gandhi’s sinister silence on Telangana is an enigmatic paradox. In fact it was she, who has stoked the fire for Telangana in 2004. It is very much certain that she and her coterie have not learnt much out of their misdemeanors in sabotaging Telangana during the last 2 1/2 years .For that, it may need some more debilitating inroads in to their scheming politics. But, it is inevitable that Sonia Gandhi will have to bite the bullet for Telangana sooner or later.