Thursday, December 10, 2009

Telangana X: Congratulations!

[The previous articles in this series are: Telangana - A New State, Telangana II, Telangana III, Telangana IV, Telangana V: Political angle, Telangana VI: Hyderabad State?, Telangana VII: Political Drama, Telangana VIII: You need to make a case, History of Telangana I, Telangana IX: Riots turn ugly]

Last night, P Chidambaram, Home Minister of India, has announced that the Central government will take steps towards creation of a new state called Telangana. With that announcement, there was lot of rejoicing last night on the streets of Telangana. KCR, the head of TRS political party, has decided to end his fast. The ball is now set rolling; and looks like there will be a Telangana state this time around.

A word of caution

India has been ambivalent when it comes to any division. It is because they fear the unknown – they don’t know what will happen. With each division, they get nightmares of country getting divided and broken up into pieces. Back in 1969, there was a major Telangana agitation in which more than 350 people got killed, but the movement was forcefully suppressed. That was exactly 40 years ago. In 2004, TRS-Congress alliance swept the polls in Telangana wherein TRS had a single point agenda – of creating Telangana while Congress agreed to such a demand. And yet, there was no Telangana. Congress Party blatantly betrayed people of Telangana by going against their promises.

Now, we have seen for the first time New Delhi conceding to entertain the creation of new state of Telangana. Does that mean Telangana is guaranteed? Not really. There are many hurdles and obstacles to cross - and anything can happen. Hopefully, the momentum and the prevalent moods are such that all obstacles will be cleared.

Mass movement

Unlike in 1969, which was a movement that was confined to educational institutes and few government employees, now the movement has reached the common people and has become a mass movement. There is a greater awareness of the this movement amongst all sections of society in Telangana- students, housewives, administrators, educationists, government employees, bank officials, and so on. Even remote villages of interior districts of Telangana have joined this movement by calling for a bandh in the last 10 days. As someone said on TV yesterday, it reached a ‘critical mass’ where there is no turning back.

In the last few days, there were waves of protest in Hyderabad city and other parts of Telangana. More than 15,000 students from Osmania University and Kakatiya University and other colleges participated in the current agitation. The police had to resort to arrests and lathicharge to quell the uprising. Section 144 that bans assembly of five or more people was imposed in 9 districts of Telangana including Hyderabad. For 10th December, Telangana people had organized a major rally converging into Hyderabad, and it was seen as a major threat to law and order. More than 12,500 armed policemen and paramilitary forces, some of them coming from other states, have been deployed. The government has started to realize that this movement will not be curtailed like before.

Added to this problem was the fast of KCR. What if something happened to KCR? The fear was that there would be an even bigger uprising in the region. The government had to act quickly to avert this. It was the fear that drove the lawmakers to sit around and discuss the plight of Telangana – not genuine concern to address their political aspirations within legal confines of Indian Constitution.

Indian democracy has flaws

Why does it always come to this in India? Why should people get onto streets, protest, pillage, vandalize, beat up, destroy, before the government concedes to their demands? Why should the people hold government at ransom before the government starts making sense? Why can’t it be proactive and take necessary measures to alleviate concerns of various groups and identities? In some cases, where the people did not even make loud demands, the Center swooped down and created new states – such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarkhand. So, how come a 60 year old movement in Telangana was continuously suppressed?

Though I am happy with the current announcement from P Chidambaram, I am not very happy that such big decisions of creating new states should be an outcome of a knee-jerk reaction to popular uprisings on the streets. Though we are all happy that we got what we wanted, we should ask ourselves if this is the only way to set things right in India. What about those who are not able to rally people to their causes and still are facing injustices? What about those who are not in a position to create such mass movements, and do not have leaders who go on fasts, what about their rights? Shall we continue to be reactive in our doling out of justices? There are serious questions that India has to answer.

Telangana Movement is one of the oldest movements in the history of Independent India that sought a separate state and yet it took sixty years to realize it. How are we protecting certain people’s rights and political aspirations against the onslaught of other people’s ambitions? How are we taking care of group identities, their aspirations, their representations in politics, education and employment? How are we addressing the plights of certain sections which are getting marginalized because of their identities? Shall we always wait for another uprising? Or shall we address these issues proactively?

20 comments:

  1. Hi Sujai,

    Hearty Congratulations! I've been following your blogs on Telangana. You have made an excellent case for it and that is how I came to know and believe in this. As a neutral observer (I'm not from AP), I think there is a strong merit in your passionate arguments and I'm happy for you. Hope that the state of Telangana marches on and counts among the relatively developed states of India. Best Wishes!

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  2. Vino:
    Thank you for the nice words and the support.

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  3. Hey Sujai,

    I have seen people fighting for cause, but rarely one finds a guy like you; such clear thoughts, such clear ideology, such good understanding of the topic - well done mate.

    I am from Rajasthan working in Bombay (yeah, and not Mumbai), I have always adored my land as India and nothing else.

    But you certainly have a very valid point that smaller states are easy to manage and administer.

    And thanks for the stupendous documentation you have done for Telangana, a little unabashedly i have to admit that i was completely unaware of this uprising. But now i can say - i know it inside out (all thanks to you Sujai) and i support Telengana!!

    God bless; keep fighting and writing for similar good causes,
    Sudharm

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  4. Sudharm Baxi:
    Thanks for the kind words and the support.

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  5. Telangana leaders fed poor people of telangana following.

    If a telanganite went n asked his leader education Telangana leaders told him andhra people took his education.

    If a telanganite went n asked his leader for jobs Telangana leaders told him andhra people took his job.

    If a telanganite went n asked his leader for water Telangana leaders told him andhra people took his water by godavari.

    Poor telanganite is so desperate and is commiting suicides and his leaders are telling lies to telangana people that they will get jobs, education,water.


    I have seen video of Jaya Shankar who most telanganites think as an intellect who praposed the idea of telangana. I see nothing but hatred and bashing of andhra people.

    Telangana is created on the basis of hatred of andhra people. Just like India and Pakistan(Hatred of religion). This is a dangerous signal.

    Telangana leaders fed poor desperate people of Telanga that they will be in heaven if telangana is formed, just like the arab children are fed with hatred of jews.

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  6. Hi Sujai,
    I really appreciate you for authoring a long run of blogs since 2 years. ijust found your blog recently and very much impressed. Keep it on my friend.
    Gud luck

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  7. Mr. BlueShift,
    Please consider the sentiments of telangana people when making such comments. Do you think telangana people are incompetent and smudge? Telangana demand flourished since 1956 right from the day of unification and always the students bodies took greater role in framing a revolt. Just go through some of the mice works written by american writer Gray on 1969 telangana struggle( I am citing american author because you would definitely consider a local telangana writer as inefficient)Do you know the then govt literally killed scores of students in shoot outs to suppress the movement?
    Over and Over again people agitated but suppresed by the central govt just because andhra politicians gained greater political leverage at the center because of being aligned to Congress before and after independence. Telangana leaders in contrast were staunch communists right from the beginning and they fought for the poorer sections and not for the cause of the rich? Sadly none of them exist now because of the brutal suppresion by congress govt. Just go throug hsome of the literary works of justice sundaraiah you will understand these things moe clearly

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  8. Sravan:
    Thank you.
    Also thanks for writing the comments answering opposition to Telangana.

    You are taking up most of the load ;-)

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  9. Sravan,

    Dont you think or consider the sentiments of rest of the people of entire state. This is like crushing the aspirations of people of other two regions only to consider sentiments of telangana people.

    Telangana demand was never a continious struggle its always been a discreet demand which rose whenever a telangana leader could not find a political job.

    Student bodies were misled into believing that they will get jobs if telangana is formed and currently jobs are being "Stolen" by andhra people. I am an andhra guy studied hard and found a job working hard for it. Can you/ or sujai explain me how i stole a telangana guys job?

    I am a guy born and brought up seeing all the discrimination and hatred of andhra people by telangana people i DO NOT NEED Mr Gary to explain me.

    Do you know thousands of andhra people who came with their bare hands to earn a living in hyderabad were raped, killed and their houses burnt by agitating telangana people in 1969 and 70 and what about justice to them???? Is this fair? Sujai ??? IS THIS FAIR?
    My parents left hyderabad during that time just to excape this hell created by telangana leaders.
    What if Sujai is thrown out of Bangalore and his company burnt by agitating kannadigas? does Sujai just do the same that is now trying to justify?

    What kind of government watches when its people are killed and raped by one section of people demanding seperate statehood for their political dreams?

    There are so many underdeveloped regions in andhra not just fertile regions of andhra. Do you know the litracy rate of north andra? how under developed that region is? how can you be selective blind.

    Being fertile land is the sin of andhra???

    I see only hatred in Jaya Shankars video just hatred nothing.

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  10. Blueshift:

    Dont you think or consider the sentiments of rest of the people of entire state. This is like crushing the aspirations of people of other two regions only to consider sentiments of telangana people.

    How can separating Telangana crush sentiments of other regions? Nobody is imposing themselves onto other regions. We just want to live separately so that we no long crush each other’s sentiments.

    Telangana demand was never a continious struggle its always been a discreet demand which rose whenever a telangana leader could not find a political job.

    So was struggle for Independence against British. It was never a continuous struggle. There were many lulls for many years during which nothing happened. Only when you read history in retrospect you feel that many events happened, but when you see them closely you will realize that there was long lull between 1920s till 1935 and then another lull till 1942.

    Do you know thousands of andhra people who came with their bare hands to earn a living in hyderabad were raped, killed and their houses burnt by agitating telangana people in 1969 and 70 and what about justice to them???? Is this fair? Sujai ??? IS THIS FAIR?

    No. It is not fair. Such atrocities should not go unpunished. I apologize on behalf of my Telangana ancestors who have committed such crimes against your family targeting them only for their identity. The perpetrators of the crime should be arrested and prosecuted under the law of the land.

    But such crimes do not negate the actual Telangana sentiment which wants a separate Telangana.

    My parents left hyderabad during that time just to excape this hell created by telangana leaders.

    When a certain group of people belonging to an identity want a state and realize that they are not getting that state only because there is another group that is obstructing it, they tend to express their ire and anger on anyone belong to this another group. That does not mean such acts should go unpunished. Such crimes should be punished under the rule of the law and no state should allow such crimes to happen. That’s why I expressed my disapproval at the recent riots perpetrated by my Telangana supporters.

    But no amount of law and order can solve such hatred – only political solutions will. Many Andhra politicians ensured that the promises agreed under ‘Gentleman Agreement’ were not kept drawing ire and anger from Telangana people who went around targeting some Andhra People during 1969 agitation. It is unfortunate that such a thing happened.

    There is always a danger that one is targeted for one’s identity – no matter where you live on this planet. The law of the land is supposed to protect individuals against such targeting. And riots are not pleasant situations because many innocents get targeted. We should do our best not to create a situation where such riots happen. It is much better to anticipate the demands of groups and take care of them before they spill onto the streets. I believe that Government of India should have granted Telangana a separate statehood way back in 1969 itself. That would have solved many problems for all of us now.

    What if Sujai is thrown out of Bangalore and his company burnt by agitating kannadigas? does Sujai just do the same that is now trying to justify?

    If something like that happens to one’s kin, we feel wronged. I would feel wronged if I am attacked for my identity. But if I came out of such a situation I will ask myself why such a thing happened and find out root causes for such hatred. If I realize that I was targeted only because the politicians that belong to my identity are continuously suppressing the demands of other groups then I will vocally oppose my own politicians – not defend them.

    So, if I were in your position, I would understand the plight of Telangana and would support Telangana cause vehemently.

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  11. Mr. Blue shift,
    Do you know thousands of andhra people who came with their bare hands to earn a living in hyderabad were raped, killed and their houses burnt by agitating telangana people in 1969 and 70 and what about justice to them???? Is this fair? Sujai ??? IS THIS FAIR?
    If this is entirely true then you have all the valid reasons to hate telangana. So why do you still want to stay united?? I don't think the things you said ever happened in a largescale. Or else why do not a single andhra politician make this an issue still now? On the contrary Andhraites have settled in telagana very comfortably and have taken it for granted ownership, the hospitality extended by telangana people. On the otherside I experienced several instances when I was in school and college where I was criticized for speaking in my dialect. I faced difficulties accomplishing simple tasks in a bank jsut because the teller was from andhra who on my face criticized me, then 13 yrs, for being naive and ignorant. This all happened right here in hyderabad, heart of telangana. Still I never complained this with my friends who were mostly andhra because I totlly consider this as an isolated event. So such isolated events do not carry any significance. Because until today there has never been a single rioting in hyderabad or anywhere in telangana against andhra people. if you have any proof(new article links) please provide them here. I still remember the recent attacks on settlers(anddhra) in bangalore regarding telugu films and sivasena atrocities in mumbai are well know all over india.
    have you ever been to VJA and try speaking telangana dialect? try do that you will know what actually discrimination feels like..

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  12. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Politics/Nation/Telangana-How-they-are-carved-out-on-paper-/articleshow/5329648.cms

    Above is an interesting report that your readers may have something to say about.

    If the emotions are removed, the only issue is jobs and livelihood. Andra should let go Telengana asap as it means all the capital jobs can move to Andra, 50,000+ jobs from hyderabad can be shifted to a new Andra capital. This is a massive economic boost for us.


    We failed Telangan 400 years ago when the mughals conquered. Our best intentions over last 50 years have been misunderstood as domination and stealing jobs.

    With global warming and Telanga will face massive droughts over next few decades.
    As an Andhra Telugu i feel no one in India understands our language and culture better than Telenganites, if Telengana needs us, we should be in a good economic position to welcome them back - like west germany did to east germany.
    Lets do all we can to make their life easy now and make peace.
    We are neighbours for thousands of years, and will be neighbours for a thousand more.

    Goodluck and Goodbye Telengana. Iam over you.

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  13. Anonymous:

    With global warming and Telanga will face massive droughts over next few decades.

    Thanks for wishing us well. It only shows how much you loved us and cared for us while Telangana was part of Andhra Pradesh.

    OR was it just for the love our capital city?

    ;-)

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  14. Sujai,
    Not just love for capital city? Or personal investments in Hyd city?
    Once safe no body needs Hyderabad.

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  15. Sujai

    "OR was it just for the love our capital city?"


    Shall i say was it the Jealousy with Hyderabad's development that led to the demand for seperate Telangana today after 1969 ???


    ;-)

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  16. Blueshift:

    Shall i say was it the Jealousy with Hyderabad's development...

    Nice try. But why would we be jealous of a city that always belonged to us?

    ;-)

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  17. Sujai,

    "But why would we be jealous of a city that always belonged to us?"

    So you always felt Hyderabad belonged to Telangana people and andhra and rayalaseema people in the city as outsiders?

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  18. Blueshift:

    So you always felt Hyderabad belonged to Telangana people and andhra and rayalaseema people in the city as outsiders?

    I always felt I was Telangana and never felt I was Andhra. I share common identity with Andhra person only under the identity of Telugu, the way I identify myself with a Marathi only under the identity of Indian.

    That does not been I bode ill for others - I have many friends from Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra, Rayalaseema, and so on. Though they are very good friends, I never felt I was a Kashmiri or Andhra. Hope that makes sense.

    Also, when your region is quite backward you feel more closer and attached to it because the poverty and backwardness unites you much more and gives you a sense of purpose.

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  19. Hi Guys

    I dont know if any one is following this blog any more.

    My only question is - Did Andhra People do some thing so drastically wrong that they are hated so much? I am not talking Andhra politicians because there no one can find any difference between an andhra politician or telangana politician or Indian politician in general. I am talking about the hate talk of KCR and his followers who hate Andhra People in general. And veil that jealousy with intellectual remarks backed up by quoting convenient information. One wonders what wrong did Andhra people do? They stole jobs goes KCR...How exactly...i never heard him explain. You put this question to him and you are sure to get a specific incident or a specific case without the batting of an eyelid. But that is quoting some thing for your convenience. Why? Because such things happen all the time every where. You highlight some thing of a human misbehaviour and show it up as an Andhra misbehaviour. This will only happen when the requirement is Andhra bashing. Telangana is only a pretext.

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  20. asrik:

    My only question is - Did Andhra People do something so drastically wrong that they are hated so much?

    It’s very tough to answer the question. What can be drastically wrong to the victim could be a small misdemeanor for the perpetrator.

    One wonders what wrong did Andhra people do?

    We don’t wonder anymore. We already accept it and try to fight it. Before India got Independence, an Englishman living in England might wonder ‘what wrong did British people do?’ that Indians want to British to be kicked out of India. Just because this Englishman is good does not mean England has been good to India. Indirectly every Englishman was responsible for what British to India. Ignorance is no excuse.

    They stole jobs goes KCR...How exactly...

    When Andhra Pradesh was formed, it came with certain agreements and rules on how many jobs in a region would go to people of other regions. When Telanganas say, ‘they stole our jobs’, they are referring to those jobs which should have actually gone to Telanganas but instead went to people from Andhra. According to one estimate, the number of such ‘stolen’ jobs stands at more than 1.25 lakhs.

    Because such things happen all the time every where.

    Genocide, persecution, ostracism, suppression, rape, plunder, murder, mayhem, loot, happen all the tim in our history and yet we do not condone them. We do our best to put to a stop to it. We try our best catch the culprit and punish him for his crimes. We do not condone Germans for killing six million Jews saying ‘genocide happens all the time’, or condone child rapists saying ‘rape happens all the time’. Do we?

    ReplyDelete

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