The movement for a separate Telangana state, which had been lying dormant for the last five months ever since the All People’s Strike was suspended abruptly in October last, has been reignited.
The reason: a spate of suicides by frustrated Telangana youth in the last few days. At least 10 youth have committed suicide in the last 10 days, most of them by self- immolation. In their dying declaration, they claimed that they were giving up their lives due to the insensitive attitude of the Congress- led UPA government in granting separate statehood for Telangana.
This began with the self- immolation of L Bhojya Naik, an MBA student, in front of his college in Warangal on March 24. He blamed it on the alleged anti- Telangana statements of some Congress and Telugu Desam Party leaders. Even as the pro- Telangana groups and political parties like Telangana Rashtra Samithi began glorifying his “ martyrdom,” it triggered more suicides. On Monday, three others, including S Naveen, a B Tech student in Warangal, committed suicide; while two others — T Yadagiri in Hyderabad and N Pallavi of Karimnagar, who set themselves ablaze last week, succumbed to their burns.
The suicides have come as a blessing in disguise for the TRS. Despite its victory in four seats in the recent by- elections in the Telangana region, the TRS was still tentative about its future course of action. The defeat of its candidate at the BJP’s hands in Mahbubnagar assembly seat, which falls in the parliamentary constituency of TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao was a setback.
It indicated that the BJP would emerge as a powerful alternative to the TRS. The TRS leadership hopes that the suicides will revive the Telangana movement.
The latest developments sent the Telangana Congress leaders into panic mode They had no alternative but to join the TRS in stalling the Lok Sabha for four consecutive days demanding an immediate solution to the Telangana tangle. The BJP, too, tried to capitalise on the frenzy when Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj highlighted the increasing number of suicides in Telangana.
The Congress is now under pressure. Though Home Minister P Chidambaram is trying to pass the buck to the political parties in the state for not spelling out their stand, AICC in- charge for Andhra affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad began the fire- fighting exercise by holding talks with the Telangana and Seemandhra leaders.
And party president Sonia Gandhi reportedly asked the seniors to chalk out a formula before April 24, when Parliament reassembles for budget session.
The TDP is still in a dilemma on Telangana. Following the humiliating defeat in the recent bypolls, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu gave hints that he might take a positive stand on the statehood demand, but is worried over the party’s prospects in the forthcoming byelections to 17 seats in the Seemandhra region.
Unfortunately, no political party has made any sincere efforts to prevent the suicides, which are increasing by the day.