The unity of Andhra Pradesh is non-negotiable and under no circumstances will the people of the State accept any kind of arrangement, or compromise formula, which envisages division of the State, as is evident from the outcry in the coastal districts and Rayalaseema areas, according to Parakala Prabhakar, convener of the Visalaandhra Mahasabha, a forum which has been carrying on a vocal campaign for preserving the unity of the State.
At a press meet here on Wednesday, he said that of late “the discredited ministers from the coastal districts, and Rayalaseema, are floating a proposal that they will talk it over with their Telangana counterparts and come up with some kind of a compromise formula, but we want it to make it clear that these ministers and legislators have lost the moral right to represent the public of their constituencies, even though they are still clinging to their chairs. If these ministers want to talk to their Telangana counterparts, let them do so, but they cannot do it in their representative capacity. They are unable to visit their constituencies without police protection. How can they strike a deal on behalf of the public in coastal districts and Rayalaseema?”
Prabhakar said the agitators in the coastal districts and Rayalaseema should also be aware of “the beguiling talk that there is delay in the preparation of the Union Cabinet note on Telangana formation and other such diverting tactics. We should not be complacent and we should not let the agitation be diluted, unless there is a clear-cut commitment from the Union Government that Andhra Pradesh will not be divided under any circumstances. Otherwise, these politicians will lull us into complacency and strike unholy deals for their personal ends.”
Linguistic states
In response to a question, Prabhakar asserted that his organisation's stand on the sanctity of linguistic states in the Indian context was the right one. “We are not taking a dogmatic, or rigid stand on the linguistic states, as some of our opponents are alleging. It is in fact a pragmatic stand. The defining principle of our republic is the linguistic state. There was a great debate on the merits and demerits of the linguistic states in the pre-independence era, and finally it was agreed that in the Indian situation the linguistic states are the best option. Therefore, we should not tinker with linguistic states. If there are grievances or problems faced by any particular region in a linguistic state, the problems should be democratically addressed. Breaking up the state is not the solution. The remedy is worse than the disease,” he added.
sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in