One should appreciate the ‘guts’ of the MIM floor leader in the state legislative Assembly to declare openly his ‘support’ to those who are branded as “settlers’ by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, who are fighting for separate statehood. His ‘courage’ and ‘commitment’ to ‘secularism’ abundantly paraded when he went to the extent of suggesting to the government on the floors of the House that anyone who held out threats against these ‘settlers’ may be treated under non-bailable offence.
The young legislator obviously peeved by the TRS and its T-Joint Action Committee members holding out threats against the people belonging to the other two regions during their agitations programmes, especially Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. They term those who belonging to these regions were staying in Hyderabad for some reason or the other as ‘settlers’. The TRS main accusation is that these two region people have exploited Telanganites by making properties in-and-around Hyderabad.
On the other hand, they (Rayalaseema and Andhras) claim that they too did contribute for overall growth of historic Hyderabad from time immemorial. They feel uncomfortable for being called ‘settlers’ as majority of them might have migrated more than 2 to 3 decades ago. Though, the antecedents of even the TRS founder President K Chandrasekhara Rao and the Congress leader K Keshava Rao are believed to have roots in north coastal Andhra and one of the costal district, respectively.
With the movement for separate statehood turning more and more volatile with tempers too running high and all walks of people vertically getting divided, the T-JAC call for boycotting Andhra-made products is what more disturbing trend emerged out of the ongoing agitation. Should tempers run such high, when the Centre had taken the initiative to constitute a Committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Srikrishna, to begin the process? Can Andhras be considered as foreigners in their own land?
Article 3 of the Constitution clearly enshrines that the states were formed in 1956 under linguistic basis. A case is also pending in the Supreme Court regarding this challenging the Centre’s move for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. People of the other two regions are chanting ‘integration’ song, while the people of Telangana of ‘separatist’. And, the Centre had to elicit views of all sections in the society of the entire Andhra, if not three regions, and take a decision. Hence, it constituted the Committee. Considerable consensus should emerge before taking such major decision. To arrive at this, considerable time is required.
Today, people in the region may appear united on the issue. But, the fact remains that when had the opportunity to show this unity in democratic process, they apparently not done reasons best known to them. Not once, but twice or thrice since TRS was formed and fight their first electoral battle in 2004. TRS performance in all the elections held since then proved disastrous. What does it mean? If that is not the yardstick to be used to gauge and understand the mood of the people, what else has to be?
Even TRS leaders’ effort to build consensus among national parties indeed failed when the CPI-M turned down any more divisions in the country. Though the TDP had given a letter of support, today that party too vertically split into two groups and the one which extending ‘support’ for separate statehood, however, unwilling to sacrifice their assembly seats to bring pressure on the Centre. They show Congress as an excuse, to fall in line with TRS. Incidentally, the people of the two other regions – Andhra and Rayalaseema – were looking at TDP for help and protection to their properties in Hyderabad. Though, the TDP had promised support just before the civic polls, today, it remains non-commital in the wake of split in opinion of their own party members on bifurcation.
In this confused and helpless atmosphere, the MIM leader’s assurance undoubtedly has come as moral boost to those Andhra and Rayalaseema people residing in the city. Now they feel more than ‘secure’ .
Restraint is the need of the hour and no two groups should get emotionally surcharge creating lawless in the society. Let both the warring groups achieve their goals in more peaceful and democratic manner, instead of taking the violent path.
Telangana or no telangana, united state or devided one, commonman should not be put to inconvenience. He should be allowed to lead his life peacefully.
Let the socalled leaders lay down the their lives for the genuine cause, rather than provoking the innocent and future citizens of the nation. (23-02-2010)
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