On Monday, some 3.5 crore people will wake up in a new State — Telangana. At midnight on Sunday, the 29th State of India was born amid celebration and revelry in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Andhra Pradesh that now form Telangana.
Hyderabad, the capital, has gone pink — the colour of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which will form the first government of Telangana.
President’s rule imposed in united Andhra Pradesh will be revoked partially on Monday to facilitate the swearing-in of the TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government. However, Central rule will continue in the residual Andhra Pradesh till TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu takes charge as chief minister a week later.
Before KCR’s swearing in, Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan will take oath as Governor of Telangana. Narasimhan will also function as Governor of residuary AP.
The Telangana agitation dates back to 1956, when the region was merged with the Andhra State carved out of Madras Presidency in 1953 after Potti Sreeramulu’s agitation for Telugu Statehood. The people of Telangana were against the merger as they feared job losses because the education level and development in Andhra were better. Jawaharlal Nehru had rightly likened the integration to the marriage of a reluctant bride.
In 1969, the Telangana movement intensified under the leadership of M Channa Reddy and the Telangana Praja Samithi. There was widespread violence and over 350 protesters were killed. The movement, however, did not last long as Channa Reddy merged his party with the Congress and was eventually made AP chief minister by Indira Gandhi.
In 2001, the movement revived when Chandrasekhar Rao quit the Telugu Desam Party and formed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. In 2004, the Congress joined hands with Rao, promising a separate Telangana but later backtracked.
The 14-year TRS struggle was spearheaded by students and intellectuals of the Osmania and Kakatiya Universities. In the home-stretch, the TRS’ hands were strengthened by various political parties, including the BJP and the CPI, all of which formed a Joint Action Committee.
In 2004, the TRS teamed up with the Congress, led in AP by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and fought the election against the TDP; 26 of its candidates made it to the Assembly and five to the Lok Sabha. This election also brought the Congress back to power in the State after nine years and ensured that Telangana was firmly on the party’s agenda.
Then, in 2009, the TRS jumped ship and, alongside the TDP and the Left as part of the Mahakutami (Grand Alliance), defeated the Congress. Though, the TDP could not form a government, the Telangana issue had now taken the centre-stage in AP.
After the death of YSR and the fast-unto-death by KCR in December 2009, the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre made a commitment on a separate State. Though Seemandhra MLAs and MPs protested bitterly, the TRS had jockeyed all political parties into accepting a separate State for Telangana as part of its political calculations to come to power. The rest is history.
Development pangsFor the TRS, the creation of Telangana is half the battle. Development has touched only Hyderabad; the other nine districts are craving for infrastructure, jobs and growth.
The TRS Government also faces the challenge of co-operating and co-existing with Seemandhra.
If AP was the first State to be formed on linguistic basis, will the creation of Telangana propel the formation of new States on the basis of fulfilling regional aspirations?