TELANGANA MOVEMENT

The Telangana movement refers to a group of related political activities organized to support the creation of a new state of Telangana, from the existing state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The proposed new state corresponds to the Telugu-speaking portions of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad.

BACK GROUND:

When India became independent from the British Empire, the Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence, but the Government of India amalgamated his state by force on September 17, 1948; after executing Operation Polo by the Indian Army. When India became independent, the Telugu-speaking people were distributed in about 22 districts; 9 of them in the Telangana region of Nizam's Dominions (Hyderabad State), 12 in the Madras Presidency (Andhra region) and one in French-controlled Yanam. A Communist led peasant revolt started in 1946, lasted until 1951.




The Central government appointed a civil servant, Keralite, Vellodi Narayana Menon K as Chief minister of Hyderabad state on 26 January, 1950. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras state and Bombay state. In 1952, Telangana had tasted democracy for the first time when it participated in general elections and elected Dr.Burgula Ramakrishna Rao as the Chief minister of Hyderabad State. Its important to note that Telugu speaking people in Madras state(Andhra region), which was part of British India), enjoyed some form of democracy since 1920. During this time there was violent mulki agitation by Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state and to implement Mulki rules strictly.



Meanwhile, Telugu speaking areas (Andhra region) were carved out of an erstwhile Madras state by popular agitation by the leaders like Potti Sri Ramulu to create Andhra state in 1953


Merger of Telangana and Andhra


In December 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. The States Reorganization Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telangana region with Andhra state, despite the common language between the two.




Para 382 of States Reorganization Commission Report (SRC) said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit, public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallize itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future". The concerns of Telanganas were numerous. The region had a less developed economy than Andhra, but with a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which Telanganas feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They also feared that planned dam projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately even though Telanganas controlled the headwaters of the rivers. Telanganas feared too that the people of Andhra would have the advantage in jobs, particularly in government and education.



The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with two-third majority.



Bharatratn Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar also had favoured , " one state - one language formula" and not the " one language - one state formula" for reorganisation of states. Thus one state should have one language but at the same time, there can be any number of separate states for one language.



Chief Minister of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao strongly believed majority of Telanga people are against the merger.



Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru ridiculed the idea of merging Telangana with the Andhra State, fearing a “tint of expansionist imperialism” in it. Later, he compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having “provisions for divorce” if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well.



However, following the "Gentlemen's agreement, the central government, ignoring States Reorganization Commission Report , established a unified Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956 The agreement provided reassurances to the Telangana people as well to Andhra people in terms of power sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.


1969 Movement


In the following years after the formation of Andhra Pradesh state by merging Andhra state and Telangana, however, the Telangana people had a number of complaints about how the agreements and guarantees were implemented. Discontent with the 1956 Gentleman's agreement intensified in January 1969 when the guarantees that had been agreed on were supposed to lapse. Student agitation for the continuation of the agreement began at Osmania University in Hyderabad and spread to other parts of the region. Government employees and opposition members of the state legislative assembly swiftly threatened "direct action" in support of the students. This movement, also known as Telangana movement, led to widespread violence and deaths of hundreds of people and students of this Telangana region. Approximately 360 students gave their lives in this movement.




Although the Congress faced dissension within its ranks, its leadership stood against additional linguistic states, which were regarded as "anti-national." As a result, defectors from the Congress, led by M. Chenna Reddy, founded the Telangana People's Association (Telangana Praja Samithi). Despite electoral successes, however, some of the new party leaders gave up their agitation in September 1971 and, much to the disgust of many separatists, rejoined the safer political haven of the Congress ranks



In 1969, when the Hindi blockbuster Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke was released, Telangana people could be seen carrying posters with the slogan "Aya Telangana Jhoom Ke" [Telangana would come up with great fanfare].


Movement in 1990-2004

The emotions and forces generated by the movement were not strong enough, however, for a continuing drive for a separate state until 1990s when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), promised a separate Telangana state if they came to power. BJP created Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarkhand states in year 2000 as promised. But the BJP could not create a separate Telangana state because of the opposition from its coalition partner, Telugu Desam Party. These developments brought new life into the separatist Telangana movement by year 2000. Congress party MLAs from the Telangana region, supported a separate Telangana state and formed the Telangana Congress Legislators Forum.In another development, a new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (or TRS) was formed with the single point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state, with Hyderabad as its capital lead by Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao popularly known as KCR




Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel all the agreements, accords, formulas, plans and assurances on the floor of legislature and Lok Sabha, in last 50+ years, could not be honoured and Telangana was forced to remain neglected, exploited and backward. The experiment to remain as one state proved to be a futile exercise and therefore, separation is found to be the best solution


2004 and later
In 2004, for Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region with the promise of a separate Telangana State.Congress came to power in the state and formed a coalition government at the centre. TRS joined the coalition government in 2004 and was successful in making a separate Telangana state a part of the common minimum program (CMP) of the coalition government.In September 2006 TRS withdrew support for the Congress led coalition government at the centre on the grounds of indecision by the government over the delivery of its electoral promise to create Telangana.




In December 2006, the TRS won the by-election to the Karimnagar parliamentary constituency with a record margin.



There was pressure on the Congress party to create a Telangana state in 2008.



All TRS legislators in Parliament and in State (4MPs, 16MLAs, 3MLCs) resigned in the 1st week of March 2008 and forced by-elections to increase the pressure on Congress party, and to intensify the movement



By-elections for the 16 MLA seats, 4 MP seats were held May 29, 2008. During the election campaign the TRS party said it is a referendum on a Telangana state but both Congress and TDP parties said it is not a referendum on Telangana and also said that they are not opposed to the formation of Telangana state. To the disappointment of Telangana proponents TRS retained only 7 out of 16 MLA seats and 2 out of 4 MP seats after the by-elections.



In June 2008, Devender Goud, who is considered number two in the TDP, a politbureau member and Deputy Leader of the Telugu Desam Legislature Party, resigned from the party saying he would devote his time and energy to the formation of a separate Telangana state.In July 2008, Mr Goud along with some other leaders like Mr. E Peddi Reddy formed a new party called Nava Telangana Praja Party.



On 9 October 2008, in a historical turnaround from its 26-year history TDP announced its support for the creation of Telengana


Symbolic declaration of statehood


The Nava Telangana Party, led by the former home minister of Andhra Pradesh, T Devender Goud, declared Telangana as a separate province within India on November 2, 2008. Konda Laxman Bapuji announced that "We solemnly declare statehood for Telangana on November 2, 2008." Goud released ten pigeons in the air symbolising the ten districts of the region, while he also unfurled the national flag on the occasion. Along with his party activists he was later arrested when they tried to barge into the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat to change the name plate from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana. A scuffle then followed between the police and the NTP workers before the party workers were taken to the Chikkadapalli police station. Other NTP workers soon descended on the scene and staged a dharna to protest against the arrest


2009 and later 

In February 2009, state government declared that it had no objection, in principle, to the formation of separate Telangana and that the time had come to move forward decisively on this issue. To resolve issues related to it the government constituted joint house committee.
Ahead of the 2009 General Elections in India all the major parties in Andhra Pradesh supported the formation of Telangana.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) again announced their policy of having smaller states and would create two states, Telangana and Gorkhaland, if they won the election.. The Congress Party still says it is committed to Telangana statehood, but claims Muslim minorities are opposed to creation of separate state along with majority of people. Some analysts, however, feel that the "Muslim reluctance card" has been very smartly played by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who is staunchly opposed to the formation of the new state.

The Telugu Desam Party(TDP) has promised to work for Telangana statehood. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) joined a Mahakutami (or grand alliance) with TDP and left parties to defeat the Congress party for denying statehood for Telangana.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), newly founded by film star Chiranjeevi, supported Telangana statehood prior to elections, but later changed its stance. Nava Telangana Party merged with PRP after it realized that there is not enough political space for two sub-regional Telangana parties with Telananga statehood as main agenda.

Several political parties, including some Telangana congress leaders, criticized Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), when he changed his stand from pro-Telangana and gave anti-Telangana statements after the polls.

Congress returned to power both at center and state. TRS and the grand alliance lost the elections in overwhelming fashion.



In September 2009, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) died in a chopper crash while flying in bad weather.



In the first week of Dec 2009, the TRS president, K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) started a fast-unto-death demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in the Parliament. Student organizations, employee unions and various organizations joined the movement. Scores of people commited suicide in support of Telangana state. Telangana bandh (strike) shuts down Telangana on Dec 6th and 7th. Student organizations planned a massive rally at state legislature(Assembly) on Dec 10th. Government warned that the rally does not have permission and deployed police troops though out Telangana. The decline of KCR's health has contributed to a sense of urgency for the central government to take a decision on the issue of Telangana statehood


Telangana state formation process


On Dec 9th 2009, 11:30 PM, Mr. P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs announced that Indian government has started the process of forming a separate Telangana state and that a resolution would be introduced in Andhra Pradesh assembly for this soon. KCR ending his 11 day fast said from his hospital bed that this a true victory of the people of Telangana. The central government has asked Andhra Pradesh state government to pass of a resolution in the legislative assembly . However, as per article 3 of Constitution, Parliament does not require Assembly resolution to create a new state.



Telangana celebrated the central government decision while non-Telangana regions of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Andhra region) protested.



Several members of Andhra Pradesh's legislature submitted their resignations to protest the creation of the new state.As of 16 December, at least 147 legislators (including Praja Rajyam Founder Chiranjeevi) and many Members of Parliament had resigned in protest of the Government's decision to carve out a new state of Telangana. 22 Ministers form the State Cabinet have submitted their resignation.All of the Legislators/MPs' resigned belong to Andhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema) region.




On Dec 16, media reports confirmed that there is split in Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) over Telangana issue, with its leader Chiranjeevi as well as 16/18 party MLAs opposing the division of Andhra Pradesh, while Telangana leaders in the party are unhappy with the shift in the party's views