Centre should remain firm on Telengana

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Telengana, What Telengana? That seems to be exactly what the UPA Government's stand is merely two weeks after it decided to bring a resolution in the State Assembly for the creation of a separate state of Telengana. Union Home Minister who on December 9 had announced passing of a resolution in the Andhra assembly said that there was no consensus in the state about the issue and thus any hasty decision wasn't possible. This ensured that the pro-Telengana groups have resorted to violence in the name of statehood. K Chandrasekhara Rao's who earlier sat on a fast has sent out a warning to the Centre not to cheat the people of the Telengana region.

Now many may accuse Chindambaram and the Centre for back-stabbing KCR but what choice does the Home Minister have? There are equal protests in the rest of Andhra for a united Andhra Pradesh. Does the aspirations of the people of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema region hold no significance in the matter of dividing a state? Can KCR who has failed to politically represent the people be considered as a true leader of the Telengana region? Isn't he accountable for the incidents of violence happening in Hyderabad? Can he just dismiss the damage of Public Property as sentiments of the people? If he blackmailed the Centre by sitting on a fast, Centre had every right to counter his diplomacy.

Granting Telengana statehood is not at all in the interest of the Nation at this point of time. While close to a dozen statehood demands in the air Telengana's creation can lead to chaos in the nation. Already there is trouble brewing in the hills of Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal and there are demands for Bundelkhand, Bhojpur, Saurastha, Harit Pradesh, Mithilanchal, Greater Cooch Behar, Vidarbha, Bodoland, Maru Pradesh, Karbi Anglong, Garoland and Coorg. So should we keep on dividing states so that people like KCR can become Chief Minister?

A new state comes at a huge price and considering the backwardness we have in rural India any amount of Tax Money wasted on the whims and fantasies of leaders like KCR is a crime. What has he done for the Telengana region in all these years being a representative of the people. If Telengana is backward it is because of the inefficiency of politicians like him not the Centre and the region being a part of a larger state. Far reaching development should be prioritised over smaller states.

The Centre should thus remain firm on the issue of the creation of any new state. Does that mean new states cannot be created at all? No, they can be but through political process. If the State Assembly passes a bill on the bifurcation and trifurcation of any states, new states should be created but not just merely by sitting on a dharna or a fast unto death. If the Centre budges once it will have to do it again. An integrated India is a far more important than the life of politicians like KCR.