Crores of Telugu people feel alienated, insulted, and unwanted by the Indian Union.  Actions of the Indian Government since July 30, 2013, when UPA made the decision to divide the Andhra Pradesh State, have deeply hurt the feelings of many. Union Government’s unfair, undemocratic, dictatorial, and unconstitutional methods have caused despair to millions of Telugu people around the globe.

 

Our sense of alienation is borne out of deeply troubling nature of Union Government’s assault on the unity of Telugu people. In order to gain a few MP seats in the upcoming elections, Union Government has adopted the divide-and-rule policy of the British era. Following are the reasons for our sense of deprivation:

• The Andhra Pradesh Reoganisation Bill, 2013 states that it will meet the long standing demand for the creation of a separate State of Telangana. While there are many long pending demands for state divisions such as Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, Gorkhaland, and Bodoland, why was Andhra Pradesh singled out for division? In fact, Uttar Pradesh State Assembly has even passed a resolution in favour of division, yet UP division was shelved, while Andhra Pradesh division is put on a fast track.
• When far stronger demands for division of Andhra Pradesh came up in the past, both Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi stood firmly for linguistic states in the larger interests of the nation. What compelled the Indian Government to change its mind this time? We deserve an explanation that goes beyond politics of votes and seats.
• Separatists for years have been making allegations of under development, discrimination and violation of agreements. Union Government appointed Srikrishna Committee report proved the separatist allegations to be false. The committee also said that not dividing the State is the most desirable solution. Why has this report’s findings and recommendations been shelved?
• Antony Committee was appointed by the UPA to study the concerns related to the State division. Why did the Union Government not wait for Antony Committee report and instead rushed to form a Group of Ministers (GoM) to oversee the bill preparation? Is it not true that Antony Committee report highlighted several problems that will come from State division?
• All the new states that have been formed in the recent history were formed after the respective State Assemblies passed a resolution favouring the division. After repeated promises made by ministers Chidambaram and Shinde, why has the Union Government backtracked on the State Assembly resolution?
• GoM, which was formed to decide the fate of crores of Telugus, did not have a single Telugu person in it. The GoM couldn’t carve out time to visit the state that they are dividing. Adding insult to injury, GoM asked people to submit their views via email. Did the Union Government expect farmers, taxi drivers, masons, and daily wagers to send their views via email?
• Why has the Cabinet took up the crucial reorganization bill that decides the fate of crores of Telugu people as a table item not once but twice? When Telugu cabinet members asked for a day to read the couple of hundred pages bill, their request was turned down. Are Telugu people outcastes in this nation?
• Union Government’s own Intelligence Bureau Chief has warned that division of the state will strengthen Maoist and sectarian forces. Why has the Union Government disregarded this advice and put the future of Telugu people at peril?
• When the State Government asked President Pranab Mukherjee for a month long extension to discuss the bill in the Assembly, while extending the deadline by a mere week, President  wrote: “After considering the need for the expeditious introduction of the Bill in Parliament, I hereby allow a further period till the thirtieth day of January, 2014”. Did the President think that this will be the last time Indian Parliament is ever going to meet? Why does the bill need to be rushed to parliament without giving the State Assembly sufficient time to discuss? Didn’t the President abdicate his constitutional responsibility while trying to assist the ruling Congress party pass a bill quickly that helps them in the upcoming elections?
• In the history of independent India, no new state was formed without the consent of State Assembly. Why did the state division process move at bullet speed, when Andhra Pradesh Assembly rejected the reorganization bill? 
• All three recent states reorganization bills were sent to Loksabha first. Why has the President first sent the reorganization bill to Rajyasabha? Why has Pranab Mukherjee failed to see the obvious legal flaw that Vice President Hamid Ansari saw right away? Hasn’t Pranab Mukherjee put the Congress Party interests ahead of his sacred Constitutional duties?
• For months Speaker Meira Kumar refused to introduce the no-confidence motion under the pretext that the house was not in order. However, she went ahead with the introduction of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, while hundred MPs were engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the Loksabha well. Isn’t it clear that the speaker abdicated her constitutional obligation and engaged in partisan politics of helping the Congress party?
• What can be more outrageous when the ruling Congress party employs MPs from other states to physically assault Telugu representatives right in the parliament? Is this not a declaration of war on Telugu people?
• Two national parties BJP, and Congress colluded and passed a bill that decided the fate of crores of people in less than half an hour in Loksabha. Conveniently the live broadcast of the proceedings ran into a technical glitch exactly as the voting began. Not to mention, speaker’s rent dues for her Delhi house to the tune of crores of rupees were waived by the ruling party. In addition, she has been rewarded with a second bungalow in Delhi rent-free for 25 years. Aren't these million dollar perks suspicious?
• In Rajyasabha, the main opposition party BJP vociferously claimed that the bill was unconstitutional and yet supported its passing.

 

Union Government broke every convention and violated the spirit of the constitution as it pushed the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation bill through the parliament.

 

The two national parties in India, Congress and BJP, are determined to destroy the identity of Indian tribes. Unless Indians don’t wake up to this stark reality, there will not be an India left. If India has to survive, we must bring Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj back. We must de-regulate, de-centralize and make states independent.  We must get rid of the system of Governorships, get rid of UPSC- no more IAS, IPS interfering in state affairs, Railroads should be owned by states, national airline must be scrapped, no more central security forces to maintain law and order in the states, income taxes should be collected by state governments and not by the Union Govt., we should not require Union government permission for establishing universities, medical and engineering colleges, we should manage our airports and seaports. Central government should be confined to basic functions such as national defence and foreign affairs. If we do not deregulate and decentralize, our nation is bound to disintegrate. The more power we give to the Union Government the more destructive their actions will be.

 

Telugu people must realize that we are victims of a wicked game played by those in Delhi. Union Government has instigated us against each other for their selfish motives. Let us try to resolve the state division disputes as amicably as possible. As the two new states come into existence, we should not repeat the mistakes of the past. Diminish the powers of Chief Ministers. Empower the Panchayat Raj system, and allow the districts to administer themselves.

 

I do anticipate that the feeling of alienation among regions will take several years to heal. But, I am confident that there will be a day when we will reunite and prosper together.

 

Regards,

Nalamotu Chakravarthy

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