Two professors, one politician: The Telangana story

This is the story of a seasoned politician and two professors who played significant roles in the birth of Telangana, India’s youngest State.

If the late Kothapalli Jayashankar, Telangana ideologue and a former Vice-Chancellor of Kakatiya University, was a source of inspiration for K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) leader M Kodandaram is fast emerging a major challenger to the Chief Minister.

Several poll promises of the KCR government have remain unfulfilled, and Kodandaram has emerged a rallying point for a discontented people. The government has responded to protests with an iron hand, arresting the professor earlier this week in a pre-dawn swoop, hours before Kodandaram was to participate in a rally in Hyderabad to demand the filling up of government vacancies. A student later attempted self immolation at the Osmania University campus, which, ironically was the epicentre of protests during the statehood movement.

Jayashankar passed away in June 2011, three years before the idea of Telangana came to fruition, and the KCR government has acknowledged his contributions by naming the State Agriculture University after him.

A professor of economics, Jayashankar strove tirelessly for Telangana’s statehood since the early 1950s, highlighting deprivation in the region.

Now while the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) celebrates Jayashankar, with Kodandaram, a political sciences professor at Osmania University, KCR has had a love-hate relationship. Kodandaram, who led the final burst of struggle for Telangana formation — the TJAC brought all parties together to press for statehood — today stands as the biggest opposition to a KCR government that dominates the 119-member State Assembly with nearly 90 MLAs.

Increasingly sidelined by the TRS since Telangana formation on June 2, 2014, Kodandaram has now got fresh energy and support from championing the cause of students and people desperately seeking the jobs promised.

Riding on the promise of Bangaru Telangana, the KCR government promised one lakh jobs, 2-bedroom houses for the poor, 3-acre land parcels for Dalits, and succour to families who made sacrifices during the statehood struggle. While the Chief Minister has gone some distance in housing and doles to the deprived, the students, especially those of the universities of Osmania and Kakatiya University remain disapointed.

The pent up frustration of the student community has found expression in the recent protests and agitations, and threatens to escalate soon.

The arrest of Kodandaram, is ironically by a CM who has condemned police action during the Telangana movement.

Soon after winning the elections, KCR went about consolidating his position, weaning leaders in opposition parties over to his side. Midway into his term, more than 20 MLAs from the Telugu Desam Party and Congress have crossed over to the ruling party, which had orginally won 63 of the 119 seats. The Chief Minister has also been systematic in administration, systematically implementing the flagship Mission Kakatiya irrigation programme, meeting power demands and executing welfare schemes with clear political and social targets.

But clearly, KCR’s efforts have fallen short of the hopes of the people. Now the question on everyone’s minds is this: will Kodandaram take the plunge into politics, which he has steadfastly resisted? Indications of a deepening chasm between the government and the professor are growing, and many who feel let down by the government are rallying around the 61-year-old.