Creation of Telangana state will eventually lead to balkanization of India - Like Africa, forever fighting and squabbling among themselves

Lucid analysis of the situation, writer argues why creation of Telangana state will not solve the problem but create more problems for the country. Potentially unleashing an internal security crisis.

Source: Non-random-Thoughts
http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.in

"Creation of Telangana is not a solution. This Telangana issue was discussed twice before in this blogspot.....

In another article I wondered whether there is any Christian agenda behind Telangana demand?....

 I came across views both for and against the formation of Telangana which can be read under these two articles.

 The main reason that Telangana supporters were saying was that they did not flourish and they were a neglected lot in the larger picture of Andhra Pradesh. If that was there problem, the solution lies not in seceding away. Better management right up to the grass root level must be and can be done.

In a country of Durga Nagpals who are penalised by the political masters for doing their jobs, the excuse of administrative reason does not hold water. If a part of a State does not show development, it is because the political rulers have no stake in that part.  By seceding that part as a solution, we are actually dividing the people on the basis of their own wraths, anger, self interests and so on which would be further nurtured by vested interests to keep that part as their pocket borough so that the people cling on to them as their saviour as long as their problems still remain unaddressed. The result is that their problems would not be solved or how else the politicians can continue to survive?

The British policy of divide and rule is exactly aimed at keeping sections of people pitted against each other for ever so that their exploitation can continue without being challenged. Such a division on the basis of castes and religion had been happening ever since Independence. Now when those issues have started showing diminishing returns, newer divisions are being resorted to. The division of Andhra Pradesh comes under this category.

This is demonstrated in the way Digvijay Singh has reminded TRS of its offer to merge with the Congress if its demand for Telangana is met with. With election around the corner, the congress has offered Telangana formation. It is shocking that this crass opportunism has not been criticised but just termed as political expediency by our lame media. Are we a commodity to be divided and bartered to fulfil the ambitions of politicians and political parties?  The motive of the politicians for division, defeats the so-called aspirations of the people for division.

We are not like the United States where many states are there with better administration for themselves. There the culture is the same, the language is the same and there are hardly any elements that differentiate one from the other. Moreover there are only two parties throughout the United States with less scope for multiple posturing. But in India within every 100 km you find a difference in the identity of people.  The differences in caste, language and religion are being kept alive by politicians and those with political ambitions. The result is that there are many islands within a state working with cross purpose with others around them. If these islands are going to get legitimacy by becoming a state, then also the frictions are going to be there with an unchallenged scope of igniting chauvinism and self interest which would have less space for accommodation for others from rest of India.

Today the nation is facing the prospect of a fractured mandate in the hustings and instability in the Centre after 2014 elections. With more states in the kitty, there is going to be more regional parties who cannot work for a United India. Continuing instability at the national level is going to be the result of all this.  It seems my oft repeated fear of bad patch for India in Moon dasa from 2015 to 2025 to be a period of instability, internal bickering and external threats will have its genesis in Telangna formation.  Andhra Pradesh already had a notorious name as the forerunner in linguistic division of India. Now again it is leading another round of division which is going to make India an Africa!

Telangana is going to give legitimacy to all notorious secessionist elements in the country. Even peaceful states are going to bear the brunt of Telangana mania. In Tamilnadu, Telangana echo can be heard in Ramdoss,  Seeman and the Kongu leaders who had expressed their wish for separate states from Tamilnadu. Ramdoss would ask for a Vanniyar state saying that Vanniars are the deprived lot and are poor ever addicted to boozing. Karnunanidhi would want South Tamilnadu to become a separate state to satisfy his Son Alagiri. The Christians would ask for secession of Kanya kumara and Nagarkoil saying that they are backward states. Already the converted Christians of these districts have raised an objection to the building up of the Tirupati like  Balaji temple in the district. How crooked and narrow their agenda is! Will this kind of attitude promote Nationalism or unity among the people?"

Read full post at:
http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.in/2013/08/can-telangana-flourish-with-its.html

Telangana Lies Part 2: List Of Looters

Here's the list of those who looted from Telanagana region over centuries, which opium induced T politicians will NOT talk about:

1. The Nizams who ruled ex-Hyderabad state

"By the early 20^th century, the Nizam’s wealth accumulated to approximately £100 million in gold and silver bullion, and £400 million in jewelry alone, making him the richest man in the world". Where did this wealth come from? It's the plunder of the people and the land. It's not as if Hyderabad was a switzerland at that time, the vast majority of people lived in extreme poverty as slaves to the Doras (land lords) who in turn payed protection money to the Nizams. The Doras treated people as slaves, Narsing Rao's wonderful depiction of the life of the times in Telangana is to be found in the Telugu movie "Daasi". See links below: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizam_of_Hyderabad

http://blog.saffronart.com/2012/12/04/the-nizams-of-hyderabad-an-epic-tale-of-wealth-loss-and-reconciliation/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daasi

2. Telangana politicians
Here mention must be made first of the ex-TDP MLA and current TRS head Dubai Sekhar alias K Chandrasekhara Rao. The extortion & land settlement racket run by him and family (in fact entire TRS party?) in the last 5 years is not a secret. Recently there was a widely reported incident in the media (ABN Telugu News Channel) of a man complaining to police about KTR's involvement and threats in a land deal. (KTR involved in 100 Crore Land Scam – ABN Sting Operation)

Not to forget the lands and properties grabbed by them across Hyderabad and Telangana. All together he would have made more than Rs.1000 crores

Next mention should be made of most of the current crop of Telangana Congress politicians who have made themselves filthy rich all in the space of few years: Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Manda Jagannatham, Ponnam Prabhakar, G Vivekananda, Madhu Yakshi goud, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and many more.

See links below:

http://andhrabuzz1.com/2013/06/19/ktr-involved-in-100-crore-land-scam-abn-sting-operation/

http://wakeap.com/news/political/pil-filed-against-kcr-and-harish-rao-for-illegal-wealth.html

http://www.apherald.com/Politics/ViewArticle/10136/KCR-King-of-Corruption-Robbery/

KTR involved in 100 Crore Land Scam – ABN Sting Operation

 

Samaikyandhra agitation reaches feverish pitch

From The Hindu

The Samaikyandhra agitation hit a feverish pitch after it entered its third week on Wednesday and acquired momentum with leaders from Opposition parties backing the agitation.

The movement in all 13 districts of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions began on a tardy note with none of the political leaders coming forward to take the lead, but within a couple of days, people from all walks of life voluntarily found innovative ways to express their wrath and ire at the Congress Working Committee’s decision to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers joining the struggle for United Andhra Pradesh opened flood gates for different kinds of agitations and people came out in large numbers from Tuesday to give full support to the NGOs.

Many industrialists and other professional have started their own way of campaign against division of the State and if at all divided, they are resorting to SMS and e-mail campaigns to put pressure on the Congress party and Central government to impress upon them to make Hyderabad the common capital permanently.

Concerns of the farming community, the most influential in the region’s economy, with regard to sharing of irrigation waters, is uppermost in the minds of people here.

While Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader K. Chandrasekhar Rao has been the target of the people in general for his remarks on sending back people hailing from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, the movement for Samaikyandhra is being sustained by people who are voluntarily closing their business establishments, banks and all educational institutions across Central Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

While it begun as a violent agitation in Chittoor, Anantapur and Kadapa districts, in Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari, the agitating crowd did not damage public property and APSRTC buses were confined to bus depots. While several second-rung leaders in the Congress party have been leading the Samaikyandhra agitation in Guntur and Krishna districts, the Telugu Desam and YSRC leaders are holding ‘Vanta Vaarpu’, rasta roko and other agitations. A peculiar trend this time is the continuation of the agitation for more than 15 days with the youth taking the lead.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/samaikyandhra-agitation-reaches-feverish-pitch/article5025433.ece

Telangana Lies Exposed

Telangana politicians who have been spouting all kinds of lies and falsehoods about the reason for demanding a separate state are completely exposed now. If they are sincere about development of Telangana, let them agree to a new state with Warangal or Karimnagar etc as capital. Why insist on including Hyderabad which is a cosmopolitan / global city built largely by the efforts of all those migrants who came from elsewhere in the country including from Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra?

After all having a capital city in Warangal would lead to its development of the town and whole of Telangana. No, they don't want that. Why? Because the politicians are after the revenues generated by govt from Hyderabad. They want the contracts, the bribes that have to be paid to get any project / approval signed off by govt. They dont want to share that with politicos from Seemandhra, they want the lion's share! That's the reason they say 'Telangana wale jago, Andhra wale bhago'. It's not just verbal violence, in the last 3 years properties, buses, cars, two wheelers owned by Seemandhra people have been vandalised / targeted / destroyed in Hyderabad. People beaten up.

If they think they can drive away migrants from other regions who came here and simply take over their  homes and businesses, they are day dreaming. People of Seemandhra have risen up in revolt against all these shady machinations by T politicians and their masters in Delhi. Due to the complete shutdown in Seemandhra (govt, businesses, educational institutions, transport undertakings are all on strike), already we see prices of essential items going up in Hyderabad. Most supplies in the form of vegetables, fruits, milk, fish, rice and cereals come from Seemandhra to Hyderabad daily. This has been hit due to the strike. The anger and concerns of Seemandhra people will have to be addressed soon. Just wait and see what happens. People have risen up in anger, Delhi will soon feel the heat! Then the SG mafia will have to capitulate to the demands of Seemandhra people.

Demand for Saurashtra State grows

Saurashtra and Kutch: States of Gujarat? The Hans India
http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=1&subCategory=5&ContentId=22234

Gujarat’s per capita income in 2010-11 at Rs 64,000 compares favorably with the All-India figure of Rs 46,000 At Independence, Sardar Patel persuaded all 222 rulers in Saurashtra to form Saurashtra State. Some of these states, almost the size of jagirs elsewhere, were too small for future development. Junagadh had to be annexed as its Nawab opted for Pakistan. The border princely State of Kutch was put under Central administration. Mainland Gujarat, which had been directly administered by the British, and the princely State of Baroda were made part of Bombay State. A separate Gujarat State was not on the agenda then. The States Reorganization Commission (SRC) recommended the division of Bombay State into Maharashtra (with addition of Hyderabad-Marathwada) and Gujarat (with the addition of Saurashtra and Kutch). However, Vidarbha was added to Bombay State. This altered the demography and politics against the Gujaratis; so Saurashtra and Kutch were also added to Bombay State! But the Maharashtrians who wanted a separate State were not happy, and their agitation continued. And soon the Maha Gujarat movement also began and, by 1960, Bombay State was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat (Mainland Gujarat. Saurashtra and Kutch). In new Gujarat, Saurashtra politicians held power. This helped Saurashtra swallow the bitter pill of lost statehood but population and politics would soon put the Mainland Gujarati elite in control. The Saurashtra peninsula had always been a separate entity. Even physically it was cut off from the mainland by the sea link between the head of the Gulf of Kutch to the head of the Gulf of Cambay. The 1812 earthquake closed that link and left behind a low depression with the Nal Lake as a reminder of past geological and geopolitical reality. Kutch was almost an island, cut off from Sind by the Great Rann to its north, on its east from the mainland by the Little Rann and by the Gulf of Kutch on its south and the Arabian Sea to its west. It had its own history and culture. It was geographically a part of Sind and a part of the Indus River delta where a branch of the river, till the 1812 earthquake, flowed into the Great Rann.
The Sultans of Gujarat ruled only in the mainland with Saurashtra and Kutch paying tribute but
autonomous in all matters. The trade and commerce of Saurashtra and that of Cambay was a vital
part of the Mughul Empire.
It was also here that the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca began and ended. The British played the same
role and left the Saurashtra princes and the Kutch ruler more or less to their own.
There has been extraordinary progress of all Gujarat regions, except perhaps the tribal districts.
Even these have lately been doing well in terms of development. The gigantic Narbada project
brings water to the entire mainland and branch canals take its water to Saurashtra and even
Kutch.
Gujarat’s per capita income in 2010-11 at Rs 64,000 compares favorably with the All-India
figure of Rs 46,000. The population below the poverty line (2004-05) is only 17% compared
with the All-India figure of 28%.
In rural areas, it is 19 % for Gujarat and 28% for All-India. Gujarat’s urban population
(reportedly 50% of the total of 5 crores) has only 13% poor compared to 26 % for All-India. By
2010, agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining sectors together employed only 2% of the total
workforce.
But these sectors have grown by a phenomenal 12.9% per annum between 1999 and 2009.
Industry gives employment to 41% of the workforce and services make up the remainder! In
2000, Saurashtra had 66,166 small-scale units, while Kutch had 4,780, out of a State total of 2,
51,088.
Surat’s diamond-cutting industry, the huge fertilizer, petrochemical and oil refining sector and
the rush of industrialists to set up in Gujarat is well known. The State is well on its way to
achieve its full economic potential. Gujarat’s Diaspora, which spread all over the world, is a
resourceful and effective force for the all-round development of the State.
Gujarat has a vibrant agriculture, producing in 2008-09 cotton (7 million tonnes), wheat (3
million tons), sugarcane (15 million tonnes), groundnut (1.4 million tonnes) and milk (8 million
tons). Saurashtra and Kutch have nearly 10 lakh hectares under irrigated cotton cultivation and
five lakh hectares devoted to irrigated wheat.
Its groundnut cultivation and oil-milling sector is a critical national sector. Extensive cultivation
and marketing of seed cotton for cotton growers in Punjab and elsewhere is also an important
activity.
This agricultural progress was a result of the irrigated area increasing between 1999 and 2008 by
38 lakh hectares in the mainland and an equal 38 lakh hectares in Saurashtra and Kutch – with
the tribal districts seeing an increase of 4.6 lakh hectares. However, most of the irrigation in
Saurashtra and Kutch is well-irrigation while the mainland has canal irrigation also.
Gujarat has six major cities – Gandhinagar (political capital), Ahmedabad, Vadodra, Surat in the
mainland and Bhavnagar and Rajkot in Saurashtra. It has 42 ports along the long coastline (including Kandla in Kutch) and 13 airports. It has a 2,200-kilometer integrated gas grid. Its installed capacity of power generation is 13,908 MW from 24 power stations in the State and even five outside the State! Its 18,000 villages are supplied with 24-hour, three-phase power and a water grid connects 9,600 villages. There is no shortage of power. Despite all these extraordinary developments, the statehood movements for Saurashtra and Kutch are neither dead nor dormant. The movement for restoration of Saurashtra State has seen mobilizations in 1966-67, 1970 and 1971. In 2001, the banner was raised again by trade and industry circles as a reaction to the poor allocation of earthquake relief and rehabilitation. In 2005, it revived again, this time led by the Saurashtra Oil Millers Association (SOMA), which felt the State government had neglected the region, its groundnut farmers and oil millers. In 2009 (partly triggered by the Union Government’s decision to grant Statehood to Telangana), the Saurashtra Sankalan Samithi returned to the issue supported by 300 business, industrial and social associations of Saurashtra and Kutch. The issues were about inadequate infrastructure, including lack of SEZs and other complaints. A former Minister complained: “People from Saurashtra are often taunted with titles such as “kathiawadi” and “via Viramgam””. Kutch also claims that it contributed Rs. 700 crores to State revenues and Rs. 1,500 crores to Central revenues and did not get back enough in development. Saurashtra makes similar and larger claims. The BJP MP and the BJP Saurashtra-Kutch in-charge, Vijay Rupani, is quoted as saying: “In Gujarat, one cannot miss balanced growth. The demand for separate statehood for Kutch never became a movement because people never found a need. Since the BJP has come to power, there has been an overall growth of the regions, be it Saurashtra or Kutch”. Yet, if the Congress Government in Delhi is to concede statehood for Telangana, Vidarbha and the four new States out of UP, can Saurashtra-Kutch, despite their development in recent times, be far behind? The demand for statehood is not always based on economic deprivation – real or perceived. --

DR GAUTAM PINGLE DIRECTOR CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND GOVERNANCE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF COLLEGE OF INDIA BELLA VISTA RAJ BHAVAN ROAD HYDERABAD 500082 TEL:+91-40-6653 3000, 3081 +91-40-2331 0907 (D) FAX:+91-40-66534356/ 23313882 E-MAIL: gpingle@asci.org.in gautam.pingle@gmail.com

Required: A New State of Mind, Not a New State!

By Chetan Bhagat
Source: Times Of India

An endearing, almost cute trait of Indians is that we never really lose hope. We always feel a messiah, or a great grand scheme will soon come and deliver us from our woes. It is a narrative reinforced by Bollywood, where somehow a hero works things out in the end. Our mythology too talks about good forces (God) with amazing powers coming and killing the evil (demons).

It is perhaps due to this gullibility that many of us feel the latest sure-shot solution to the miserable common man's life in India is a new state.

Yes, Stateitis is the new virus in town, affecting everyone from the south to the east to the north. So, what is the latest solution for the common man`s suffering? A new state. Not good leaders, not even new leaders, not new criteria for voting such as governance over caste, not an end to identity prejudice.

We will change none of this. We will simply solve all our jobs, inflation, power, water, safety, health and education problems with one magic solution — a new state. If the consequences of such naïve thinking weren`t serious, it would be another cute, hilarious trait of Indians. However, what we have started now with Telangana is something so harmful, vile and terrible, we will all regret it in times to come if we don`t check it now. And that terrible thing is this: making states at gunpoint.

No, making new states is not a problem. In the right circumstances, it may well help. What is a problem is coercive demands for a state, where sections of the population take on shrill voices, threaten violence or strikes and try to gouge out a state for themselves. What makes it worse is a weak Centre and a PM who says or does little to quell such voices.

However, if we want to stem such movements, it won`t be through forcibly shutting them down. It is important to understand where such demands originate, and if something can be done to address the underlying issues without constantly redrawing the map of the country.

So, why the almost sudden desire for so many new states? Well, the demand seems to be coming from more economically backward pockets of the country. The simple reason is this: people are sick of poor governance and don`t know where to look for answers or place the blame. A new state, even if a flawed idea, seems like something new to try.

Also, Indians are prejudiced, aiding such thought. Many of us Indians feel their community/religion/caste is somehow superior to others. We also feel a leader from our own kind will have more empathy towards us. Hence, a new state seems like a reasonable solution.

Of course, this is highly flawed thinking. For our prejudice itself is often the reason behind our woes. If we were not prejudiced, we would not have voted on the basis of identity. We would have chosen instead a leader based on ability. We didn't, which in turn led to the misgovernance mess we find ourselves in today.

This bitter truth, of course, doesn't cut much ice with us Indians. We never buy stories involving us taking responsibi-lity. We never blame ourselves. It is always an external demon, and usually from another caste/community/religion that causes our woes. Not us.

Unfortunately, caught amidst our desperate life situation and prejudiced mind, we forget the damage pseudo-fixes like new states may cause. For, no matter what your local leader may tell you about the utopia that comes of making new states, there're many drawbacks associated with them. Here`re four.

First, small states have little clout at the Centre. Let's face it; the CM of UP carries more clout than the CM of Tripura. Size matters in politics. Two, it creates separatist, almost anti-national sentiments that are harmful for the country. There are reports of people in Telangana being asked to move out. If new states are created in Assam or West Bengal, there could be violence. Indians living peacefully for generations turn adversaries overnight. How can this be good for the country?

Three, business investors are likely to stay away from a newly formed state, especially if the state is created under volatile circumstances. This will mean fewer new jobs, and a worse-off situation for the new state. Frankly, without investments, no backward area can develop. Politi-cians may yield to shrill voices, investors only run away from them. Four, it reinforces and almost validates something we Indians should be ashamed of — our internal prejudices.

Today, the world is looking at India to get its act together. We, on the other hand, are busy finding differences and reasons to hate each other. AP was a wonderful state by itself. Sure, it may have had issues like any other. Cutting it up, making many parts of India vulnerable and legitimising prejudice hardly seems like a smart solution.

There's nothing wrong with making a few new states, but it has to be done on the right terms. The intent has to be rational and the process objective and peaceful. The reason for making states should be administrative and not indulging prejudice. As we celebrate Independence Day next week and unfurl our one flag that belongs to everyone, remember that the answer to India's problems is not a new state. It may be, rather, a new state of mind. A modern, unprejudiced, thinking Indian mind. Can we add that to the list of new state demands please?

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The-underage-optimist/entry/what-india-needs-is-not-many-new-states-but-a-new-state-of-mind