Visalandhra Mahasabha on December 29th achieved an important milestone. After months of setbacks, we've eventually achieved our goal of conducting an integrationist event in Hyderabad. It is the first of its kind.
When we asked for our right to freely express our opinion: the State government instead of coming to our rescue stifled our voices. The police have turned their back on us when we asked for protection. The "so-called" integrationists and community leaders of Hyderabad refused to come to our rescue as they felt expressing a point of view would be provocative. Our political parties and leaders said it is in VMS’ best interest that they don't stand by us as it would hurt our organization's image of an apolitical organization. When our venue was denied to us, as a last resort, when we approached the judiciary, the court system failed us. The High Court sided with the government and dismissed our most basic fundamental rights case. I was dumbfounded by the courts decision. The judiciary in our country lost course.
The essential ingredient for a free society to survive is people's ability to freely express their opinions. When a society cannot tolerate such freedoms, it gradually degenerates into a dictatorship, where only might will win.
The fight for integration is important. However, the fight for individual freedom is far more important. Alas, it is lost on the intellectuals of our state why we should stand for our fundamental rights, while risking fears of provocation. Every time you fear to freely speak your mind, the society moves one step closer to an autocracy. Need evidence? Look at how the separatist movement became violent as years went by. This has happened because integrationist voices decided to stay quiet.
VMS about a month ago lost trust in the judiciary process as the High Court kept on adjourning our petition week after week after week. We have decided to go ahead and conduct our event in a private venue instead of a government facility like the Jubilee Hall or Ravindra Bharathi. We’ve also decided not to give anything in writing to police seeking protection, as they will use it to deny our most basic rights. Technically, we did not need permission from the law enforcement to conduct an indoor event.
December 29th 2011 exhibition and media workshop was a phenomenal success. We had several freedom fighters from the Nizam region that rallied to our cause and dared to stand with our organization. They are Sri Narra Madhav Rao, Smt. Shakhamuri Suguna, Sri K.S. Mehaboob, Sri Laxman Rao, and Sri Naganna. The former two are also members of VMS executive committee.
As the session began, when Sri C. Anjaneya Reddy garu was speaking, a journalist kept on interfering demanding to name the five Chief Ministers from Telangana mentioned in our charts. Anjaneya Reddy garu insisted on allowing him to finish his speech and the answer will be given later. He eventually clarified that they are JVR, PVNR, MC, and TA. The reason for five is the two terms held by MC.
When Sri Narra Madhav Rao spoke, some of the journalists took exception to his comments and demanded an apology. 90 year old native Hyderabadi, Madhav Rao garu refused to apologize and with police intervention things returned to normalcy. Freedom fighter Suguna garu, despite her frail physical condition, took on the journalists head-on. She said, nobody can stop the event from happening that day. From that point on, the event went on smoothly. Professor and former Vice Chancellor R.V.R. Chandhra Shekhar Rao, MCPI leader Thandra Kumar and MCPI Secretary Marreddy Venkat Reddy spoke. After which Prabhakar garu did a powerpoint presentation. It was highlight of the day and his presentation was carried live on most TV channels and it was simply spectacular.
We’ve also put up an exhibition at the venue. In the lobby area we put a photo gallery of the violent activities that have happened during the course of this agitation. Some of the journalists pulled those charts down. We quickly put them back up.
The media workshop ended as planned at 2.00 PM.
Police came in around 2:30 PM and said they have protected us to the best of their ability throughout the day. In reciprocation, they requested us to conclude the exhibition early due to security concerns. We took the exhibition down at 3:30 PM an hour and half earlier than planned. I now regret agreeing to end the exhibition early. The media completely distorted the story and declared the event was disrupted by the separatists.
Today, I am very proud of the Visalandhra Mahasabha team. There are too many names to mention. Our brave team has worked hard for weeks and never did their spirits wane. We stuck together through thick and thin. I am proud to be associated with such spectacular group of team players.
Our cause is noble, our fight is just. The fight for Telugu unity will go on.
Nalamotu Chakravarthy
President
Visalandhra Mahasabha
http://www.visalandhra.org
http://www.facebook.com/visalandhra
Congratulations.
The heart is warm and the soul is toughened. The spirit high.
The separatists need to be fought tooth and nail. Though I am a votary for Greater Hyderabad being a separate state I firmly believe that the separatists need to be fought tooth and nail.
Thank you Sera. Yes, the separatists need to be fought tooth and nail. Not sure if you realized, if you are a votary of Greater Hyderabad state- you too are a "separatist". Let's shed these divisive positions and work for unity, peace, and tolerance.
Are you planning to publish the PPT please? I am glad to see you went ahead without getting bogged down with permissions etc.
I hope Reddy's method of counting CM's and assigning them to regions is consistent. NTR for instance can be counted as one individual, three tenures, (83-84, 84-89 after the Nadendla interlude & 94-95) or four innagurations (83, 94, 85 & 94). If we count Jalagam by his constituency (Sathupalli), NTR's last tenure should be assigned to R'seema (Hindupur), not Andhra.
This is not a major point but goes to show how inconsistent methods can be twisted. SKC for instance claims no R-politico held certain portfolios unless the R-CM's held it themselves. How difficult was it for the committee to find this out?
Don't jump to conclusions. The chart had number of days a CM from each region has been in power and the terms. It didn't show that Nizam region had fair representation. We tried to convey most of the CMs are from Rayalaseema and despite it the region is backward. The purpose is to debunk the argument of "self rule".
If the spirit of Telugu Unity is soo pure then then the agenda should be "Telugu unity no matter separate state or not".
If the intentions are pure then why even worry if the state is divided. It is just a "imaginary" line if we are all united.
PS:
I am from Telangana. I believe there should be separate small state for all round development. I also strongly believe that all Telugus are same and should be united.
If you change your agenda then there are many to come only for Telugu Unity.
No, we won't change our agenda. There are already many people behind us. Despite all the sweet talk, I believe your stand is to divide Telugu people and not to unite.
I congratulate Visalandhra mahasabha entire team for a spectacular job of expressing the need for Telugu unity in the capital city of AP.This is impressive and surely will be taken as an example by others in the country where if such a situation arises anywhere. I wish if there were some video recordings of the event and I hope will be available soon.
Such things are needed to be conducted in historic Andhra city of Warangal to remind everybody about who exactly we are and about our glorious history of Andhra desa.
-Providing correct information and right knowledge is the need.
- If still some people support separation then the difficulties of separation and national level consequences needs to be highlighted.
Easy availability of books on Telugu unity, developmental progress on internet and colleges and schools in Telangana districts will reduce the passions further and people become more logical and less sentimental and broader and can think of immediate and long term consequences of separation.
Definitely suggestions of SKC needs to be considered and more political space for T leaders and more developmental packages for under developed regions of AP will strengthen the state further enabling all round human development of Telugus/Andhras.
Telugus across the globe will be now more confident and proud of the efforts of VMS. History is recording all these events
Yes, we have a video recording. We will post on visalandhra.org shortly.
Chakravarthy, my comment is not about conclusions (I did not jump to any) but about the methods used for data presentation & analysis. This is important because a large majority of views on the current movement are based on inconsistent reasoning. This is true on both (or all) sides of the divide.
I notice you have not replied to my question. What is Reddy's count of region wide CM's & tenure in years? How did he assign an individual to a region? The point itself is not urgent or important but the principle is definitely important.
@Chakravarthy: The concept that having many CM's will result in a region being developed has already been debunked.
Prof. Jayashankar for instance wrote: "Even if it is assumed that the leaders of a region becoming chief ministers can contribute to the development of that region, then why do the people of Rayalaseema complain of backwardness? This state has been ruled for two decades, and continues to be ruled even now, by the chief ministers hailing from that region. And that too not by ordinary men, but by stalwarts like N. Sanjeeva Reddy (twice), D. Sanjeevaiah, K. Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy (twice) and N. Chandra Babu Naidu (already twice). They too could not – and would never – go against the dictates of the affluent region for their political survival"
Hi Chakravarthy Garu,
I wish to congratulate you and the VMS team for the milestone. I hope that 2012 will be a very good year and you and the team acheive the goals you have set.
It is clear that the GOI, especially the home ministry has realised the mistake they have committed by them on 9th December 2009. Though, it has been rolled-back by the 23rd Dec 2009 statement. They haven't yet comeback with a clear statement that the state will continue "as is". I sincerely hope that this happens in 2012 itselft. The only question is would the party in power (congress) see it as a vote-catcher or not. If all the samaikya vadis (esp in Telangana) become more visible and can be counted to vote the party that stands for United AP, then we can be more sure of maintaining this state as Andhra Pradesh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XdfFbU4R3YI#!
@Gottimukala
Prof. Jayashankar for instance wrote: "They too could not – and would never – go against the dictates of the affluent region for their political survival"
Does this mean that a small state like Kerala or Goa is discriminated by a state like UP or are the Telugus discriminated by Hindis. Your logic if extended reasonably will lead to the disintegration of this nation.
What Prof Jayashankar said is universally true. Which means it will be true in a separate T also – politicians from backward regions like Mahabubnagr, Adilabad and the wastes of north Nalgonda could not - and would not – go against the dictates of the affluent regions like Miryalguda, Nizamabad, irrigated parts of Karimnagar and warangal for their political survival.
So, this divisiveness will go on till every person becomes one state and rules himself – which is exactly what the libertarians argue in favor of.
So, the separatists should not stop at fighting for T. They should fight for ending political exploitation of one region by another, one man by another. If they can realize that target, then it would not matter whether they separate or not. Problem solved!
@sera: Anjaneya Reddy's contention is that backwardness of an area is not a function of the number of CM's it had. In other words, Reddy is repeating what Prof. Jayashankar said much earlier.
The theory that Tamil or Telugu speakers are discriminated in India is not new. DMK, ADMK & TDP are all fighting on this same subject for decades now.
@Neutral: Do we have only two choices: eternal backwardness or extremely granular division?
As far as the future demands are concerned, let those who feel aggrieved raise the demand at an appropriate time. Sera, for instance, wants to fight for Hyderabad UT.
Prof. Jayashankar also wrote (in the same paper): "Why should the people of Telangana keep quiet even if their counterparts in Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra are contented with whatever is given to them?"
Have the "integrationists" fought for ending regional discrimination? Why then give pious advice?
@Jai Gottukumla: Do we have only two choices: eternal backwardness or extremely granular division?
What kind of comparison is that.
It should be eternal backwardness vs progress.
or
integrated status quo vs extreme granular division
The intelligence of Jai is that he poses a comparison between apples and oranges. This is the whole strength/weakness of the T movement. Strength in a very machiavellian violent sense. And weakness which exposes the lack of any consistent ideology, argument or foundations.
Sera, the choices are logical extensions of Neutral's view, not mine.
Jai, the choices are infinite. I am questioning the logic of prof jayashankar. Who says the people or politicians of SA are contended? Given a chance, they would like to get more mining for themselves, more contracts, more facilities to commit murders etc. Exactly in the same breath, the leaders of T would like more P contracts, more extortions, more ways to make money through political positions etc. How can the class of political parasites ever be contended? If they fill their bellies, they will bring the next generation to cling to the mammaries of the State.
Its so exciting for activists like you, no? They speak the native dialect so well, inspire the youth to burn themselves, have a fantastic logic to oppose CBN's 'poru' but express a mild displeasure to Jagan's 'deeksha'….in the interval they give to themselves while squeezing the State's tits to draw blood…
Youth born of the sacred T soil wet with the sweat and blood of revolutionaries can't be bothered to see any of this reality. For them, the only reality is an illusion called T….
Pl go on
Jai,
>>> Have the "integrationists" fought for ending regional discrimination? Why then give pious advice?
This kind of questions are becoming counter-productive to T-movement. These counter-arguments just for the sake of the argument. Why should integrationists should fight for everything?
Even after 60 years of independence and democracy India could not 'end' caste, religious and gender discrimination. All political parties talk about 'ending' these but it did not happen.
Does that mean the experiment India as Nation has failed? If so, where do we go?
Let us comeback to the home ground. Sayudha poraatam started against 'baanchan dora' culture. But it did not end even in democratic Hyderabad and AP states, despite 4 CMs from the region. But 3 decades later one person could bring major change.
How should we see it? Failure of democracy? Failure of integration?
The most unfortunate part of T movement is professors misusing their intellect to poison minds with skewed arguments.
Prof. Haragopal who once worked for civil liberties justifies physical attacks.
What are the affluent sections Prof. Jayshankar referring to? People from two-and-half districts? Or one to two specific communities from there? If so, why is that Vijayawada suffers from huge power cuts despite a generation unit nearby? Why there is no railway zone in Vijayawada? State of Machilipatnam is even more pathetic. In 1953-54 then Andhra state Governor visited this town and talked about revival of port and drainage system. Neither of them took off even after 60 years.
All these numbers, charts blah blah are huge nonsense. At macro level only Hyderabad has developed a lot followed by Vizag. Everything else was just natural owing to population growth.
Only thing that developed uniformly across the state, every village, town and city is 'belt shop'.
Dear Prabhakara Rao Garu,
I do agreed with you when you said that it is few of Telengana regions professors( Medhavi vargam), which did more damaged to this region than any one else in poisoning the tender minds of Students and common people with a loath of falsehood. It is not the first time that Prof Hargopal supported violence. In his entire carrier he supported the Maoist violence. Nearly 12 years ago, in Warangal district Maoists blasted APSRTC bus, which was carrying AP police battalion. More than 10 police people were killed. In a national channel, Prof Hargopal supported the Maoists action and he did not mince a single word in support of poor people killed in the blast. These kinds of professors may be intellectuals for a few but they are not good humanists for entire society. They are doing more damage to society. The sorriest part is that, there are many Professors in T region who strongly adhere to violent ideology.
Hey Jai,
Are sepratists fighting against "regional discrimination" ? No they are not they are fighting for bloody power ..they dont give two hoots about discrimination – whether regional or not. And so are you jai,,,your inconsitencies ..two faced arguements …forked tongues posts here are clear that you dont give a hoot about justice.
Kiran
@Neutral:
"What Prof Jayashankar said is universally true" does not match up with "I am questioning the logic of prof jayashankar". You may like to make up your mind first
@Prabhakara Rao:
Neutral suggested the "separatists" should "fight for ending political exploitation of one region by another, one man by another". I was only pointing out giving advice is easy and "integrationists" have not done this either.
"All these numbers, charts blah blah are huge nonsense"
Which charts? The only ones I see are those from Chakravarthy, Lagadapati & Anjaneya Reddy.
"At macro level only Hyderabad has developed a lot followed by Vizag"
According to VMS & other anti-Telangana folks, Telangana is quite well developed. Are the claims of these guys a mistake or malicious propaganda?
@Jai
"integrationists" have not done this either.
What are integrationists in a democracy? If your representatives did not fight for something you think they should have ask them.
I asked you repeatedly – Do you think Goa is discriminated as it has only one MP by the Indian Parliament. Is UP discriminating the rest of the country? Are the hindi speaking MPs who are the largest number discriminating the other regions in this country?
And MORE IMPORTANTLY what is the guarantee that you will not discriminate/exploit/strangle Hyderabad as you will be the majority then. And with the mindset that you have developed which is very evident is it not likely that you will actually literally sell Hyderabad.
@sera, I replied to you already. Repeating again below:
"The theory that Tamil or Telugu speakers are discriminated in India is not new. DMK, ADMK & TDP are all fighting on this same subject for decades now. "
Wonderful Jai,
So by the same logic they should ask for a separate country. Are they?
Let TRS also be like the DMK, ADMK and TDP. Why ask for a separate state and keep up this ruckus and want Hyderabad all for yourself.
Just because Article 3 is a loophole, you guys want to exploit it. What the integrationists are doing as a strategy of "integrated state" is better so that the Hyderabad you want will not be looted,
Anyway you still did not answer my other question that when Hyderabad guys become a minority and are exploited by the Telangana majority, who is going to save them? Better fight now then later.
@Jai.
"The theory that Tamil or Telugu speakers are discriminated in India is not new. DMK, ADMK & TDP are all fighting on this same subject for decades now. "
This theory if anything is yours and folks of your kind in other regions.
DK started on the platform of social justice for Dalits, abolishing of caste-based discrimination and promotion of Tamil and Anti-Compulsive Hindi-promotion done by Congress. Promotion of Tamil language does not mean that they think they are discriminated. So, please don't put your thoughts as though they are from DK.
DMK is an off-shoot of DMK and no where in their policies/manifestos they talk about correcting "tamils being discriminated". What they say is that they want implement policy X, Y, Z to promote Tamil language. ADMK again is an off-shoot of DMK and they do not have any stated position about "Tamils being discriminated". If anything Tamil parties think that Tamils are superior to the rest.
The raise of TDP could be attibuted to the feeble state-level leadership we had during 1970/80s. NTR campaigned that we (telugu people/AP MLAs) don't need appointed leaders, but need elected leader. He campaigned that the way congress is behaving, it is causing damage to "Atma Gauravam" of Telugu people. (Damage can be caused for something that exists, not something that does not exist). And he wanted the people to prove that Telugu people have their "Atma Gauravam" in-tact by voting the congress out. No where did NTR or TDP say that we telugu speaking people are discriminated against in India. So, please do not promote your ideas as though they are from TDP.
If any theory exists, it is that Telugu people (including majority of citizens from Nizam Telangana area) all over the world (apart a small section of T separatists like you) are a confident lot and aspire to do better than their couterparts in any part of the world.
Only a very narrow section of T-Leftists, TJAC leaders, TRS party workers and some students having political aspirations, float theories that they are discriminated against.
>>> The theory that Tamil or Telugu speakers are discriminated in India is not new. DMK, ADMK & TDP are all fighting on this same subject for decades now
This is theory. But it is fact that lower castes, working classes were oppressed in Telangana for centuries. How can you guarantee it is eliminated altogether and will not repeat in separate Telangana?
>>> Which charts? The only ones I see are those from Chakravarthy, Lagadapati & Anjaneya Reddy.
In front of SKC team, an 8th class girl read the number of schools here and there, number of colleges here and there, number of… here and there …..
It was one of the many lists prepared and circulated by Prof. Jayshankar and TRS.
Great, you do not know this but only VMS publications.
You also do not know PPT by T Congress leaders to Azad, where Mr. Ponnala made a fool of himself.
Great once again.
>>> According to VMS & other anti-Telangana folks, Telangana is quite well developed. Are the claims of these guys a mistake or malicious propaganda
It is the way you want to read and interpret. I did not say other areas, regions did not develop.
If I am not wrong, VMS arguments not necessarily in absolute terms. They have provided comparative numbers that indicate relative development in 3 regions. To my knowledge nobody compared this growth with California, London, Singapore or Hongkong.
Jai wrote: "Neutral suggested the "separatists" should "fight for ending political exploitation of one region by another, one man by another". I was only pointing out giving advice is easy and "integrationists" have not done this either."
Integrationists are not fighting for separate T. So, you too stop doing it…..
What Prof Jayashankar said is indeed universally true – that given a chance, every one wants to hang on to the tits of the welfare state – including Jayashankar who fought very hard to get re-appointed as VC of KU for the second time in 1996.
I am still questioning the logic of Jayashankar because the same logic, if true, will be applicable to a separate T if and when formed. Dumb heads find it very difficult to think logically and consistently. However, dumb-headedness is not region specific…….
@Ramesh:
Justice Party and DK, its successor, propagated the need for a separate country called Dravida Nadu. Annadurai's breakup with Periyar was in part over his disagreement. Anna gave up the separatist slogan in 1949.
Though the Dravidian movement was primarily built on the Aryan invasion theory, the other elemants included caste, self respect, language etc. Annadurai for instance said: "If Hindi were to become the official language of India, Hindi-speaking people will govern us. We will be treated like third rate citizens".
@Sera:
"So by the same logic they should ask for a separate country. Are they?"
DK did this for quite some time.
"Anyway you still did not answer my other question that when Hyderabad guys become a minority and are exploited by the Telangana majority, who is going to save them?"
Hyderabadis like you & I should rise & fight if we lose out in the future Telangana state.
"Better fight now then later."
Sure, koi nai rokra.
@Jai
Sure, koi nai rokra.
Wahi toh hum kar rahe hai na yaar. We just taking the help of integrationists to put pressure.
To usme rone ke liye kya karan hai.
@sera:
कौन रोता है किसी और के खातिर ऐ दोस्त,
सब को अपने ही किसी बात पे रोना आया!
@Jai
To wahi to hum kar rahe hai
Lekhe rahenge hum Hyderabad UT ya Hyderabad state
Nahi to jo hai wahi rahne do
I am afraid, I can not understand. I thought this is telugu/english site. Who are these guys contributing in Hindi/udru. I thought the legacy of foreign rulers from persia is gone and their legacy is vanished. Are these guys still hanging clingling the legacy of erstwhile persia.
There is nothing to take pride in scribbling in urdu/hindi. You belong to land of telugus which is over 2000 years old much beforeurudu is born. Please take pride in speaking it. guys .
You dont become heros by speaking in urdu ( love your mothertongue and respect the language of ur earning-english.
You are absolutely right. Most of Telugu people are having typical mind set. They feel more privileged in identifying themselves as non Telugu people by speaking in non Telugu languages. Though I am a 16 anna Telugu man, I did my primary education in Hindi. I learned 6 non Telugu languages of India. Even I can speak fluently Deccani Urdu (Hyderabad Urdu). But most of the time, I feel proud in speaking in Telugu only, because, I personally feel that it is one of the most powerful language in all aspects in comparison with other languages in India and at the same time it is one of the oldest languages of India. Even the history of Hindi/Urdu starts from 1050 AD only.
Feel proud in identifying yourself as Telugu man.