The signals for the creation of
Telangana, as the 29th state of the Indian Union, is as a result of
decades of relentless struggle of its inhabitants, who had craved for
recognition as a distinct geographical and cultural entity. This also indicates
that mere linguistic affinity cannot be the basis for carving out new states
nor can it be held sacrosanct for maintaining the status quo of the existing
states.
The votaries for a separate Telangana state have various reasons for having sought this political divorce from Andhra Pradesh. While Telangana is the largest of the three regions of the existing state of Andhra Pradesh state, the region was confronted with social backwardness and a less-developed economy than Andhra, but had a larger revenue base. Moreover in terms of the geopolitical fault line, the irrigation projects on the two major rivers left them in lurch, though they control the headwaters of the rivers, as a higher volume of water was diverted for use in Andhra. While among the other major sources of concerns that had evolved over a period of time were signs of internal colonialism and regional deprivation, which was as a result of other regions having disproportionate representation in governmental and educational jobs.
In Telangana’s context what was missed by the viceroys of the Indian National Congress party is that the traditional patron-client system cannot help any political party anymore in sustaining its constituencies – the Congress had no choice but to swim with the tide of an idea and an arduous movement that had arrived. The hunger strike in 2009 called by Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, and the movement effectively managed by Prof M. Kodandaram, acted as a catalyst and had ensured that the movement is not enamored by the deviations of the spoil system practiced by the rulers in Delhi.
Once the movement arrives at its logical conclusion, what would be interesting is to note is how the Indian state under the present government, seek to address similar movements for statehood for Vidharbha, Gorkhaland, Bodoland and the call to carve out few more states from Uttar Pradesh.
(The above mentioned opinion is the original and unabridged text. There has been some inadvertent spelling errors in the print version after it was pruned by the editing desk of the DNA)
The votaries for a separate Telangana state have various reasons for having sought this political divorce from Andhra Pradesh. While Telangana is the largest of the three regions of the existing state of Andhra Pradesh state, the region was confronted with social backwardness and a less-developed economy than Andhra, but had a larger revenue base. Moreover in terms of the geopolitical fault line, the irrigation projects on the two major rivers left them in lurch, though they control the headwaters of the rivers, as a higher volume of water was diverted for use in Andhra. While among the other major sources of concerns that had evolved over a period of time were signs of internal colonialism and regional deprivation, which was as a result of other regions having disproportionate representation in governmental and educational jobs.
In Telangana’s context what was missed by the viceroys of the Indian National Congress party is that the traditional patron-client system cannot help any political party anymore in sustaining its constituencies – the Congress had no choice but to swim with the tide of an idea and an arduous movement that had arrived. The hunger strike in 2009 called by Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, and the movement effectively managed by Prof M. Kodandaram, acted as a catalyst and had ensured that the movement is not enamored by the deviations of the spoil system practiced by the rulers in Delhi.
Once the movement arrives at its logical conclusion, what would be interesting is to note is how the Indian state under the present government, seek to address similar movements for statehood for Vidharbha, Gorkhaland, Bodoland and the call to carve out few more states from Uttar Pradesh.
(The above mentioned opinion is the original and unabridged text. There has been some inadvertent spelling errors in the print version after it was pruned by the editing desk of the DNA)
