Naresh Nunna seeks to explain the pros and the cons of a separate Telangana state in a politico-historical and socio-cultural context
Five decades of forced juxtaposition repeatedly proved Fazl
Ali’s presumptions on the uneasy alliance between two unequal economic partners. This apprehension was also shared by B.R. Ambedkar, though in a general way. “Why do Tamils hate Andhras and Andhras hate Tamils? Why do Andhras in Hyderabad hate Maharashtrians and Maharashtrians hate Andhras? Why do Gujaratis hate Maharashtrians and Maharashtrians hate Gujaratis? ……….. The hatred is due to the fact that they are put in juxtaposition and forced to take part in a common cycle of participation, such as Government…….So long as this enforced juxtaposition remains, there will be no peace between the two…,” Ambedkar had written in Thoughts On Linguistic States. “Telangana has been backward for centuries. The most crucial infrastructure element — irrigation system — was never developed here though both the Krishna and the Godavari flows through it. In contrast, coastal Andhra aggressively lobbied for and got a network of canals that took river waters deep into some districts,” BJP MLA Kishan Reddy told TSI.
Coastal Andhra settlers are often accused of exploiting Telangana’s resources. But, the seed of every demand did not merely lie in the perception of economic neglect. The cultural and lingual hegemony of neo-colonial Andhraites has widened the gulf, the diametrically conflicting economic interests adding fuel to the fire. Hence, it is more an emotional problem rather than an economic glitch. In spite of being neighbours, the two cultures were poles apart. This persistent disparity is not at all unknown to the agitators of ‘united Andhra’ but they have practical reasons.
“Assets worth millions of crores in Telangana region, particularly in Hyderabad, are owned by coastal settlers. Once the state is divided, the fate of these assets would be volatile,” a member of Telangana Settlers’ Forum expresses his apprehension.
So, as Chandrababu Naidu made a flip-flop on the electoral assurances in favour of a separate Telangana, the non-confirmative Chiranjeevi, confined to head the deserted legislative ramks of Prajarajyam, and MiM is opposing a separate Telangana state tooth and nail. It seems the Congress has a Herculean task cut out.
Five decades of forced juxtaposition repeatedly proved Fazl
Ali’s presumptions on the uneasy alliance between two unequal economic partners. This apprehension was also shared by B.R. Ambedkar, though in a general way. “Why do Tamils hate Andhras and Andhras hate Tamils? Why do Andhras in Hyderabad hate Maharashtrians and Maharashtrians hate Andhras? Why do Gujaratis hate Maharashtrians and Maharashtrians hate Gujaratis? ……….. The hatred is due to the fact that they are put in juxtaposition and forced to take part in a common cycle of participation, such as Government…….So long as this enforced juxtaposition remains, there will be no peace between the two…,” Ambedkar had written in Thoughts On Linguistic States. “Telangana has been backward for centuries. The most crucial infrastructure element — irrigation system — was never developed here though both the Krishna and the Godavari flows through it. In contrast, coastal Andhra aggressively lobbied for and got a network of canals that took river waters deep into some districts,” BJP MLA Kishan Reddy told TSI.Coastal Andhra settlers are often accused of exploiting Telangana’s resources. But, the seed of every demand did not merely lie in the perception of economic neglect. The cultural and lingual hegemony of neo-colonial Andhraites has widened the gulf, the diametrically conflicting economic interests adding fuel to the fire. Hence, it is more an emotional problem rather than an economic glitch. In spite of being neighbours, the two cultures were poles apart. This persistent disparity is not at all unknown to the agitators of ‘united Andhra’ but they have practical reasons.
“Assets worth millions of crores in Telangana region, particularly in Hyderabad, are owned by coastal settlers. Once the state is divided, the fate of these assets would be volatile,” a member of Telangana Settlers’ Forum expresses his apprehension.
So, as Chandrababu Naidu made a flip-flop on the electoral assurances in favour of a separate Telangana, the non-confirmative Chiranjeevi, confined to head the deserted legislative ramks of Prajarajyam, and MiM is opposing a separate Telangana state tooth and nail. It seems the Congress has a Herculean task cut out.
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