The central issue to Telangana’s formation is the city of Hyderabad where a lion’s share of Seemandhra investment lies. Mr. Sainath’s article “ >Can we send them to America? ” (Aug. 14) rightly brings out the plight of coastal Andhra’s and Seemandhra’s workforce after Telangana comes into being since they fear the sons of the soil policy would rob them of employment, and rightly so. The only way out is to make Hyderabad a twin capital like Chandigarh is to Punjab and Haryana.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi
Mr. Sainath has been parochial, subjective and one-sided. The article focusses only on the issue as seen from the perspective of coastal Andhra. Where is Telangana’s?
While he has been sensitive to the fears of small farmers of coastal Andhra, he has turned away from the reality in Telangana which has remained backward in terms of economy, infrastructure, education and employment. Official statistics will show this. The arguments in the article are on the lines of the reservation debate and mirror those uttered by the privileged classes that their future is bleak.
Every single leader of Telangana has been crying himself hoarse that the fight is against the political and corporate interests of coastal Andhra and not over the common man who has made Hyderabad or Telangana his home.
The sentence “Yet, there were no words of hatred for people on the other side of the divide” says it all, bringing out the magnanimity of a wronged people. Why should there be any hatred among the coastal Andhra people when those wronged are the people of Telangana?
It must be appreciated that there is no hatred for Andhras in Telangana despite them losing their share of water, employment, land and sources of revenues to the people of coastal Andhra.
P.L. Vishweshwer Rao,
Hyderabad
The article is misleading. India is a united country and no one can prevent any Indian from residing and/or carrying on a trade or profession in any part of India. The proposed division of Andhra Pradesh is merely an administrative arrangement having no bearing on the fundamental rights guaranteed to every citizen of India in the Constitution. The people living in the Telangana region or anywhere in India for that matter can continue to have access to jobs, education and medical facilities in Hyderabad, notwithstanding the bifurcation of the State. The citizens of India who have invested their money in Hyderabad are not going to be deprived of those investments because of this bifurcation, nor are they going to be prevented from visiting Hyderabad or residing or carrying on their profession or trade in that city. Let us stop whipping up emotions based on imaginary fears that are absolutely baseless.
S.P. Asokan,
Chennai
