Creation of Telangana State: An Analysis
This article is an analysis of the burning topic about the creation of the new Telangana state. Read this article as an analysis of the situation according to my own viewpoint.
There is a scene in the film Chak De! where the women's hockey coach (Shahrukh Khan in a stellar role) of the national team tells each player to introduce herself. Each player gives her name and State, except for one who gives her name and says "India" rather than her State. The coach is glad that at least one player does not label herself as a player from a specific State but of the country as a whole.
Unfortunately, that 'whole' is getting chopped up into more and more bits and pieces. One of these bits is the newly formed State of Telangana.
Rewinding into our past history, our colonial British rulers aimed to divide Indians, gleefully nurturing the concepts of high and low castes. Our freedom fighters, though, went out to of their way to unify Indians and fight the British rulers. Mahatma Gandhi and other jailed freedom fighters even went on fasts to defy British rule. They got us our democratic freedom, uniting the country under the Tricolour.
Fast forwarding to present times, that very democracy which the freedom fighters succeeded in achieving is being fragmented. In every State communities are vociferously demanding a new State for themselves, a breakaway from the State they live in. This demand reached cacophonic proportions the minute the Government conceded to the demand for the formation of Telangana. Divide and rule seems to be the policy all over again. How did Telangana get formed?
Simple – due to political machinations. When YSR passed away and K. Rosaiah took over the reins, it seems as though YSR's rivals wanted to ensure that his son Jagamohan did not get a chance to rule. So they hatched a plot to demand an independent slice of the State. Now this is all mere speculation and rumours. The man behind the creation of the State is Telangana Rashrtirya Samiti (TSR) leader K.Chandrasekhar Rao or KSR. He simply took up the Gandhian policy of going on a fast-unto-death, landed up in the ICU in a critical state and forced the Govt. to give him his State. Of course, his fasting and that of Gandhiji's is leagues apart. KSR's fasting did not lead to unity but division. It lead to clashes, morchas, protests…KSR got a big boost to his political career at the expense of dividing a State.
However, note that it is not just KSR who is responsible, but the Govt. too. How is the Govt. responsible for the formation of the Telangana State?
Of course the Govt. is responsible. They simply succumbed to pressure, afraid of the backlash if anything untoward happened to a powerful figure like KSR. Without any foresight, they went ahead and agreed for the formation of Telangana. They forgot a few things: we have a Constitution and surely there is some constitutional manner in which such a State can be formed; that is, raising the issue in Parliament and getting a consensus. Secondly, did it not once occur to them that by willy-nilly letting Telangana be carved from Andhra Pradesh they were setting a dangerous precedent?
The Sun had not yet risen over the new State when across India people clamoured for their very own carvings from their respective States. Too late, the Govt. declared that no more new States would be formed. Too late, because the backlash can be seen daily in the news: demands for Gorkhaland, Budelkhand, Vidharbha…
One fine day we won't even have a national team in any sports. More States, more boundaries – not just geographically, but literally lines will be formed between Indians.
"We, the people of India" is how the Constitution of India begins; but we, the people of India, are ourselves replacing it with "I, XYZ from so-and-so State".
When will this fragmentation of our democracy end?
Note: the author of this article is merely expressing a general view of the situation with relation to the formation of Telangana. The author is neither directly targeting any individual or group nor aiming to hurt anybody's sentiments.
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