Hyderabad, April 13: ANDHRA PRADESH was the first linguistic state to be created in independent India. The Telugupeaking people of Andhra Pradesh have for centuries shared common roots, history, heritage, heroes, castes, culture, traditions, festivals and aspirations.
From time to time, aggrieved sections of society have been incited to repudiate this truth by power mongers and divisive forces, who exploit minority opinion and present it as the desire of all.
They have created an impression in the people’s mind that separate statehood for Telangana will end all their problems.
Excessive use of rhetoric tends to turn the focus away from the main problem and renders it more emotive than rational, as is happening in the Telangana agitation.
The Telangana agitationists tear facts out of context, obfuscate issues and mislead people.
Conspiracy theories are hatched and paranoia spread to spread the impression that all is wrong in Telangana.
Political decisions can be arrived at only through dialogue.
Regrettably, Telangana separatists have often tried to force a decision by coercive methods.
In the aftermath of the statement by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on the night of December 9, 2009, there has been a tremendous eruption of opposition by the people of Andhra Pradesh to the very idea of bifurcation of their state.
Given the historic unity of the Telugu people and their cultural, emotional integration, the state must not be allowed to disintegrate due to the sowing of the seeds of mistrust by certain sections.
Despite the attendant shortcomings at the time of its formation, Andhra Pradesh has progressed significantly in the last 50 years.
The state’s position relative to all- India indices of development has improved considerably.
Social perspective
After Independence, political leaders from the affluent classes and communities monopolised power in Telangana. Due to this upper class hegemony, large sections of the people of Telangana have suffered and continue to suffer from a denial of a participative role in decision-making.
For instance, in the present movement for Telangana statehood, there is almost no representation for weaker sections like SCs, STs, BCs and Muslims and so on.
These sections do not endorse the idea of Telangana statehood and aspire only for equal opportunities and social justice.
With increasing literacy, higher aspirations and decreasing employment opportunities, students are anxious about securing their livelihoods.
This situation is being exploited by the separatists with promises of notional benefits, jeopardising the precious careers of these youth. The trade and business communities in Andhra Pradesh have always been multilingual, multicultural and multireligious.
In the wake of the Telangana movement, these sections have had to face severe hostility. They have been subjected to extortion and live in insecurity. These sections are opposed to the idea of a separate Telangana.
Key issues
Never in history has there been a demand for a separate state from the very people living in close proximity of an existing and rapidly developing state capital. Due to recent unrest and instability, the credibility of Hyderabad as a thriving city is at stake and this does not augur well, neither for the state, nor for the nation.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the party demanding separate statehood for Telangana with Hyderabad as its capital, has virtually no support in Hyderabad. It did not contest a single ward in the recent elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
There are backward districts in each region of AP, be it Telangana, Coastal Andhra or Rayalaseema. No one region can be called per se backward.
Anantapur district in Rayalaseema is the second most backward district in the whole country after Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
Demands for smaller states have been heard across India. There is pressing need to study these demands in totality. A national policy on creating smaller states must be determined. The case of Andhra Pradesh cannot be examined in isolation.
Creation of smaller states impedes development in various sectors, adversely impacts the states’ negotiating strength, and impairs its capacity to attract investment and mobilise resources. It is important to appreciate the merits of larger states in terms of the conomies of scale. Smaller states will give rise to disputes over sharing of water and natural resources.
In the context of Andhra Pradesh, there is a great likelihood that several contentious issues may arise with regard to sharing of water, which will impair the development of all regions. In attempting to resolve one problem, more problems may be created.
Smaller states cast a burden on the common man due to increased administrative costs and the costs of creation of infrastructure for a new capital. These finances are better spendt on addressing regional grievances.
Divisive forces are on a constant prowl to exploit the vulnerabilities of smaller states and pose a threat to national security. In today’s context, size does not matter for effective governance as long as there is decentralisation of power and effective regulatory mechanisms, which are quite possible with technology today unlike in the past.
Solutions
Setting up regional development boards/councils, allocating funds to backward regions and through other special means is definitely a solution.
Improving district development indices is a necessary approach to addressing local imbalances. Prioritisation of irrigation and welfare, effective utilisation of natural resources, particularly in the backward districts of the state, will help reduce inter- and intra-regional disparities in economic and social development.
Initiating these remedial measures will solve the problems at the grassroots level and put all separatist demands to rest.
Finally, we wish and believe that the Srikrishna Committee will do its best to resolve the present crisis in Andhra Pradesh in a manner acceptable to all, help foster love between the people of AP and put the state on the path of sustained growth and prosperity.
-Agencies