The Centre’s decision to initiate the process of forming a separate state of Telangana was untimely and inappropriate. In the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections held seven months ago, the Congress led by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy went to the polls focussing on welfare and development. The people, including those from Telangana, gave a clear mandate in his favour.
The issue gained momentum after the TRS raised it and students joined the agitation in large numbers. The Rosaiah government could not handle it and the Centre yielded to pressure. The situation improved in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema after the December 23 announcement by the Centre. But the Telangana region is tense again.
The Centre should constitute a high-power committee to study the issue. Till it submits its report, all MLAs should take back their resignation. If it is found that a separate state is the only solution, it can be created on a scientific and rational basis.
T. Sankaraiah,
Tirupati
It is disheartening to see the unrest in Andhra Pradesh over the issue of granting statehood to Telangana. The student community is the hardest hit. This is a dangerous trend and should end at the earliest. An early solution is called for.
A. Darshini,
Hyderabad
The entire Telangana region remains virtually paralysed. Many colleges and schools practically remain closed as students take to the streets shouting slogans. Peace-loving citizens confine themselves to their homes fearing danger to their lives and property. The Osmania University campus presents a sorry spectacle.
Kabeer Ahmed Abbasi,
Hyderabad
Is the unrest in Osmania University spontaneous or sponsored? If it is spontaneous, how come the campus was trouble-free during YSR’s time? Why did the agitation for a separate state gain momentum after the Congress leader’s death? Did people’s emotions remain dormant when he was Chief Minister? Why did the Congress MLAs from Telangana remain quiet when YSR was at the helm? The Congress leaders from the Andhra region have not covered themselves with glory either.
If they were bent on a united Andhra Pradesh, why did they not protest when their party manifesto in 2004 promised to constitute a second SRC to look into the demand for a separate Telangana? The Centre must not act in haste. Any attempt to hasten the process will only make matters worse.
V. Sriharsha,
New Delhi
By demonstrating a lack of foresight on the Telangana issue, Congress leaders have succeeded in reducing the party to a laughing stock. They do not seem to know which way to look. A party that once strode the Indian political scene like a colossus is now rudderless and at the mercy of its own MPs and MLAs, who are divided over the proposed bifurcation of a State.
Arvind D. Tapkire,
Mumbai
Thanks to the Centre which handled the half-a-century-old Telangana issue in a haphazard manner, tensions broke out in Andhra Pradesh. It was misled into believing that there is a consensus among all parties on statehood for Telangana. While politicians may gain from the agitation, students may end up becoming pawns.
N.V. Rama Rao,
Bhimavaram
One wonders whether our political leaders are really concerned about people’s welfare. Why should they drag students into the Telangana muddle? I appeal to the students to think objectively about their future and refrain from becoming pawns in the political game.
S. Madavrao,
Gudivada
Is disrupting normal life the only way to make one’s voice heard? The working class has suffered enough in the past three weeks of mayhem. The Centre has been inefficient in dealing with the issue. The solution to the Telangana issue must be found in an undivided Andhra Pradesh as pointed out in the editorial “Way out in Andhra Pradesh” (Dec. 25). Why not allocate a quota to the people from Telangana in every area and make a leader from the region the Deputy Chief Minister of the State?
I. Himakar,
Visakhapatnam
We are an emotional lot. We are swayed by the speeches of our so-called leaders. Goaded by them, we agitate, force bandhs, destroy buses, damage property, and cause untold sufferings to our fellow brethren. And when the leaders get their pound of flesh and give a call for ending the agitation, we go back to our lives.
There have been at least three Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers from the Telangana region — one of them went on to become the Prime Minister. Many have held key portfolios over the years. What did they do for their region? Why don’t we ask why these leaders and all other MLAs and MPs of the region were busy enjoying their perks and privileges, doing nothing? More States will no doubt create more Chief Ministers, ministerial berths, corporation chairmen and so on. But they will not create more jobs for the common man.
K. Ramarao,
Visakhapatnam
