Storm rising, Centre must act on Telangana, now

The Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly — that was Home Minister P Chidambaram’s promise on 9 December 2009. The Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly — that was Home Minister P Chidambaram’s promise on 9 December 2009. His reassuring words made K Chandrashekhara Rao, leader of the separate Telangana movement,break his 11-day fast. “It is the true victory for the people of Telangana,” the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief had claimed then. He was celebrating too early. More than 16 months on, the issue of a separate Telangana stays where it was then, and as inflammable. Meanwhile, the Srikrishna Commission has come out with its six-point non-solution to the statehood problem and the troubled region has erupted in violence more than once. On 23 December the same year, the Centre had thrown a dampener on the aspirations of the people of the region, saying any decision on the issue of statehood would be taken after a consensus among all political parties over the issue. That was as good as putting the issue on the back burner indefinitely. “Telangana will become a fireball from tomorrow. We will block roads and railway lines and bring everything to a halt,” threatened the TRS chief on Monday. He advised intellectuals and public representatives of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to stay off the issue, saying, “If you create any further hurdles, you will be responsible for the  consequences.” [caption id=“attachment_36415” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Congress legislators headed by K Jana Reddy address the media after submitting their resignation letters  in Hyderabad on Monday. PTI”]  [/caption] Given the past experience, there’s no reason to be suspicious of his ability to carry out the threat. Telangana has been on the boil several times in the past few years over this emotive issue. The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is spearheading the movement, has already called for a two-day shutdown in the region beginning on Tuesday. There are clear indications that the next few days would be stormy. As many as 72 members of the Andhra Pradesh assembly — 35 of them from the Congress and 33 from the TDP — have resigned. Eleven Congress MPS from the region have also sent in their resignation to the speaker. Chidambaram almost pleaded for peace. “This is an extremely sensitive and complex issue. One should have understanding and patience. Especially, the media,” he said in Delhi. But the people in the Telangana region seem to have had enough. The issue is not at all complex for them and they cannot wait for the Congress to take a nuanced, politically self-serving stand. The pressure on political representatives from locals is too strong. And they cannot keep vacillating for ever. It’s time the Centre took a decisive position. The consensus it is looking for will never be achieved given the hardened position among region-based local parties in Andhra. It has to take a call. Soon.