A justified demand

The editorial Tread With Caution (January 7) not only overlooks the historic six-decade struggle for a separate state of Telangana,but also the deaths of hundreds of agitators in 1969 and 2009.More than anything else,the unprecedented mobilisation of people demanding a separate state is not even considered.There are multiple factors like history,culture,language,development and desire for self-rule that crystallise in a statehood demand.On the question of Telanganas backwardness,nine out of 13 identified backward districts in Andhra Pradesh are in the region.Besides,is it logical to compare the Telangana issue with other similar movements Each struggle has its own history,character and aspirations.The demand for Telanagana is a democratic aspiration.If anything,this peoples struggle is rooted in the failure of successive governments to devolve power and develop the region.

Aditya Deekonda,HYDERABAD
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//////////////Tread With Caution-Knee-jerk reactions on Telangana arent advisable///////

The Srikrishna committee report on Telangana,made public at an all-party meeting yesterday,needs to be welcomed for its measured approach.The report explores the pros and cons of six options with respect to Andhra Pradesh,following a pro-Telangana agitation which turned violent last year.A division of Andhra Pradesh warrants careful deliberation.The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 had redrawn the boundaries of states along linguistic lines.The sensitivity of the issue was not lost on the legislators of the time and they struck a delicate balance.It was only in 2000,almost half a century later,that consent was given for the creation of three new states Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

The basis for this was as much development as it was identity.But in Telanganas case,it is identity alone that dominates.According to the Srikrishna report,an extensive analysis of the socio-economic parameters of all regions of Andhra Pradesh did not reveal any material evidence to treat the Telangana region as particularly backward.This in itself should be reason enough for the Centre to move slowly on any division plans.Besides,a result that clearly favours either the pro- or the anti-Telangana camp would lead to a backlash from the aggrieved party.There is also the delicate issue of Hyderabad.Over the last two decades,the Andhra capital has emerged as an IT hub,attracting significant venture capital.Pro-Telangana lobbyists cant see a separate state without the city,while those from coastal Andhra and the Rayalaseema regions are similarly unwilling to relinquish their stakes.

In addition,having smaller states does not necessarily guarantee better governance.Though it was carved out of Bihar,Jharkhand still languishes on development indices.The Srikrishna committee has pitched for a unitary Andhra Pradesh with statutory guarantees such as the establishment of a Telangana regional council as the most favourable option.This could be used as a springboard for greater devolution of political power in the Telangana region.

But as things stand,the creation of a separate Telangana will increase the clamour for new states,from Gorkhaland to Vidarbha and Haritpradesh.A wider consultative mechanism that looks at various aspects of states reorganisation is the need of the hour.If the popular yearning is for governance they can access rather than government by remote and impersonal entities,this can also be addressed through greater devolution of powers and finances to local bodies.Making Indian cities self-governing to a greater degree,for example,may be just the solution we need for urban blight.
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(source-toi)