By: Sujai K
Telangana has an aspiration – it dreams of a day when it will attain freedom from its current colonial masters, the Andhras. When I call Andhras as colonial masters, I am not referring to just their political leaders or the rich industrialists – I am talking about entire Seemandhra people who are now engaged in Samaikyandhra agitations to scuttle the formation of Telangana. I am talking about the common men and women of Andhra, the very same people who came on an invasion campaign into the heart of Telangana to hold their ‘anti-Telangana’ Sabha, right in the middle of our cities, and in the process assaulted our people, while we stood helpless.
The last forty five days of their agitations has only confirmed it for all Telangana people that it is not just Seemandhra leaders who are keen on holding onto Telangana. We understand quite clearly and emphatically without an iota of doubt that the entire population of Seemandhra wants to perpetuate their hegemony and colonial rule over Telangana.
Today, Telangana people are fighting a formidable enemy in Seemandhras, the colonial masters who are hell bent on making sure they don’t lose their internal colony. Like all colonial masters who justify their colonial rule of their colonies using hypocritical language and doublespeak, the current Seemandhra people change their stance to suit their purpose.
Back then, they said…
“We did not deprive Telangana of their share of water. It is a matter of simple physics. Telangana cannot get river water because it is higher up on the plateau. They even influenced Srikrishna Committee to say: Telangana region is not able to access river waters due to lack of gradient.”
Now they say…
“If Telangana is formed, they will take all the river water. They won’t give us any water. Our lands will become dry; our region will turn into a desert, and a graveyard. We will not have food to eat. We will not have water to drink.”
There is something drastically wrong with the contradictory stance that Andhras take. This is how colonial masters react when they do not want to let go of their colonies. On one side they claim they are not looting the colony, but then they also do not want to let go of the colony saying their own people will no longer benefit from the loot obtained from the colonies.
Back then they said…
“Nobody can deny jobs to competent people. Telanganas are incompetent, that’s why couldn’t get any jobs. If Telanganas had worked harder and studied harder like Andhras, they would have got their jobs.”
Now they say…
“Andhras will not get any private jobs in Hyderabad if Telangana is formed. Our graduates will not get IT jobs Hyderabad.”
If Andhras are competent, why would they not get ‘private jobs’ in Hyderabad? That is quite baffling.
It only shows how Andhras blatantly admit they were actually taking up those jobs which would have otherwise gone to Telangana people. They now admit that they cannot compete with rest of Indians in getting those jobs unless they get a preferential treatment and preferential access in Telangana. Like the colonial masters who feel that their sons will not have any jobs if they lose their colonies, Seemandhras want to continue to rule over Telangana so that their sons and daughters continue to appropriate jobs and opportunities in Telangana.
Back then they said…
“Andhras did not illegally occupy any government jobs in Telangana. We did not flout any Mulki rules. All these allegations are a conspiracy of Telangana agitators. Only few thousand jobs were filled by non-locals”
Now they say…
“As soon as Telangana is formed 40,000 Seemandhras will have to leave their government jobs in Telangana.”
So, the relevant question is: why would the Seemandhras lose so many jobs if they were legal?
It clearly establishes that ordinary Seemandhras know they were occupying these positions illegally in Telangana. Now they admit it openly.
Back then they said…
“Andhras are investors. Andhras are entrepreneurs. Andhras are better educated. Andhras are hard working. They built the colleges and institutions in Hyderabad.”
Now they say…
“With Hyderabad gone, our people will come onto streets. Our students will not be able to get into colleges. Our people will become illiterate.”
The relevant question is: if Seemandhras are the investors, entrepreneurial, and hard-working, how come they believe they won’t establish any colleges in Seemandhra? It is like England saying, ‘we have all the money and competence, but we cannot build an Oxford or Cambridge. For that we have to go to USA to study’. Entrepreneurial societies, if they have money and competence, will definitely build colleges for Seemandhra people in their own region. If the people of Seemandhra believe they won’t, then they are not entrepreneurial, not the real investors, or they are hopelessly incompetent.
Back then they said…
“Telangana was never discriminated in Thermal Power. Both Seemandhra and Telangana have almost equal installed capacity of Thermal Power ”
Now they say…
“Telangana has a huge deficit in installed Thermal Power. It can’t survive if its separated from Seemandhra, which has a power surplus”
How can the Seemandhra leaders and people change their own words within such a short span of time?
Back then they said…
“You should blame your own elected leaders who did not work for the benefit of Telangana. In a democracy, no region can suppress the other region. If you are backward it is only because of your own leaders”.
Now they say…
“We will use the might of our majority to scuttle the formation of Telangana. We will use our strength to stall the bill in the Parliament. If you talk like that, we will not even give you a rupee; do what you want.”
When it comes to critical moments, their real intentions and actions show up. In such moments, they do not hesitate to tell you that they actually use the majority in the Assembly to thwart all attempts by Telangana leaders to get their rightful share of water, resources or opportunities. They make it clear and obvious that when required, to protect their preferential access to resources and opportunities, they will go to any extent to suppress Telangana using the might of the majority.
There cannot be any doubt left in the minds of Telangana people that Seemandhra people, the ordinary people, through indoctrination of past many decades, behave, act and think like colonial masters. They have started to accept, legitimize and institutionalize the colonial rule over Telanganas. For them democracy is a tool to impose tyranny of the majority over Telangana.
Final word: India has to set free Telangana from Andhra colonial masters
India claims it is a democracy. India proudly celebrates 15th August as Independence Day. So how come it is allowing 35 million people of Telangana to be under colonial rule of Andhras?
India has an immense responsibility. It has to honor the pledges it made in on the 15th August 1947 speech of Nehru, in the principles laid out in the Indian Constitution of 1950, its promises made in Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956, its proclamation of 9th December 2009, its resolution of 30th July 2013. It cannot go back on its commitment towards people of Telangana. It cannot forsake the colonized people of Telangana and hand them back to the Andhra colonial masters. If Telangana is not formed now, we will have to face the wrath of Andhra colonial masters who will now go overboard in their persecution, suppression and marginalization of Telangana to forever incapacitate and emasculate Telangana population from revolting in future.
India has no choice but live up to its ideals and set free people of Telangana to welcome the 29th state into Indian Union.