Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Telangana - Inside and Outside ..

    A five decade struggle, protest and request came to an end on 30th July, 2013 after the Congress Working Committee declared its decision to form the new state of Telangana with 10 districts including Hyderabad. It will be the 29th state of Republic India. But after this declaration, protests are intensifying in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra.


    The protests for Telangana started in the early 1950s and intensified by time. During 2000s, it seemed faded until Chandrasekara Rao, Leader of Telangana Rashtra Samithi(the party which carved out for separate Telangana movement) went into a fast-unto death in November 2009. Ruling UPA, announced it would decide very soon on Telangana December 2009. After such announcement protest broke out in parts of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. After such protest, the UPA again announced by the end of December that no action will be taken to form Telangana until there is a consensus between reached between all parties and groups in all three regions of Andhra Pradesh(Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra). Again protests arose, mainly organized by the students of Osmania University. After forming few committees and getting their reports, the UPA again came into decision on declaring Telangana. And that final happened on July 30th, 2013. Digvijaya Singh(senior Congress leader and In-charge of AP congress) and Ajay Maken made their press statement that UPA has officially approved  formation of Telangana with Hyderbad as the joint capital for both states for a period of 10 years. The capital city for Andhra Pradesh shall be decided in the 10th year. The process for the formation of the new state will take atleast 4 months. The central cabinet should move a resolution and pass it to the President. The President will then approve it and pass it to the Parliament. The bill should be passed in both the houses with atleast minimum majority and send it back to The President. He then will make final and official announcement for the formation of a state. Meanwhile, a resolution should also be passed in the respected state assembly with minimum majority.

        United state of Andhra Pradesh had 294 Assembly and 42 Lok Sabha constituencies. Now these will be bifurcated as 175 Assembly, 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andra Pradesh and 119 Assembly, 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. The city of Hyderabad was developed during the chief ministership of Chandrababu Naidu and YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Chandrababu Naidu allowed many of the world's reputed companies to invest in Hyderabad including the Microsoft. The idea of sharing a capital between two states seems to be complicated. Chandigarh is in the border of Punjab and Haryana, so it is shared by both the states as capital. Hyderabad is located nearly 100 kms away from the border of Andhra Pradesh, within Telagana. How will it be easy for the people of a state to access the capital, when it is not within the state or atleast in its border?Will Assembly sessions and secretariat of both states will be held in a same building? For instance, lets put it like this. If the government is dissolved in both states and fresh elections are held, let us assume that Kiran Kumar Reddy again becomes the CM of Andhra Pradesh and some other party comes to power in Telangana. Now, MNCs and other local business dons will approach the Chief Minister asking him to guarantee the new capital of the state, so that they can start investing. But the CM, will not be in a position to guarantee the city. There is also another problem in this. People from Rayalaseema wish to have the capital city within their region and people in Coastal Andhra will also wish the same. This capital city problem will be brought to voting in the assembly. In the assembly Rayalaseema legislatures will vote for a city in their region and vice versa. So as a final result, Andhra Pradesh state will be in oscillation towards development for these 10 years. The idea of sharing capital for 10 years should have been made 7 years and timeline for deciding the new capital should be the 5th year. I agree that there are many issues to be charted out between the two states such electricity and water sharing, revenue and debts sharing. But it still needs proper concentration from the UPA about this capital sharing. The possible cities which would be capital of Andhra Pradesh are Vizhag or Vijayawada.

    Politically this will strengthen Congress in Telangana and weaken it in Andhra Pradesh. As Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy already clarified his stature against Telangana will now mobilize support against the congress in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra eyeing for power in the state.

   Let us hope that peace returns in all the three regions and political leaders do the needful with maximum responsibility.



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