Despite Justice Srikrishna Committee report is out in the open, why Telangana state remains a far cry?Take a look….
Now that Justice Srikrishna committee report on the situation in Andhra Pradesh is out in the public domain, the focus is shifted to what decision the government at the centre will take vis-à-vis creation of a separate Telangana state or maintaining the status quo. The complexity of the issue is quite evident. Thanks to the report, by giving six options to the law makers, Justice Srikrishna literally put everybody in a fix on what could happen next. On its part, India's Home ministry lost no time in sending the message across that it is seriously considering option six more closely, the only feasible alternative favored by the Srikrishna Committee.
The committee members Justice Srikrishna (left) and
Mr. V. N. Duggal (right) submitting the report to the
home minister Mr. P. Chidambaram.
Perhaps the central government has no other alternative either.Come to think of it, much water has flown across the holy rivers of Krishna, Godavari, and Musi ever since the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956 with the union of erstwhile Hyderabad state and then newly formed Andhra state.If this amalgamation is likened to a well-healed wound or bone repair let’s say by the union of two individual broken constituents, then any idea of reverting the state back to Andhra and Telangana (Telangana is only a part of erstwhile Hyderabad state) is like breaking this well-healed wound/bone precisely back into its original constituents.In reality however, the feasibility of such an operation is anybody’s guess and one wonders how many constituents of this well-healed wound/bone one would end up while undertaking such an excruciatingly painful but also a critical operation indeed!.As incomprehensible as this might sound, such an operation also requires a hell of a lot of caution, even while doing so could result in an irreparable damage like amputation or fatality. Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh is no different an analogy, for division of a state does not just confine to its geographical boundaries but extends to something deeper, emotional, cultural, economical, political, agricultural, and commercial interests.It is here the government fears the most, the serious backlash from the people of a divided state.Embarking on such an operation would also require vast consultations among the political parties, groups, and various other stakeholders on the sharing of resources such as water, irrigation, power, energy, infrastructure, and finally arriving at a consensus on the same as the people from both sides of the aisle must coexist peacefully forever as brothers and sisters.Any decision taken in a hurry without proper framework or appropriate modalities on all the aforementioned issues would only result in an immediate backlash from the other constituent/s as evidenced in December 2009.Considering the times we live in, the era of coalition politics and 24x7 news channels, arriving at a consensus on such an emotionally charged and diversely linked issue is a tall order indeed.No surprise then that the chances of such an operation meeting a fruitful end are bleak under the existing circumstances.The committee members would have surely thought of this in their minds before choosing option six as the only feasible alternative in their report.
A woman protester holding a pro-Telangana poster
at a rally in the Osmania University campus in
Hyderabad, India.
Option six would mean maintaining the current status quo, but with increasing constitutional guarantees to the empowerment of Telangana region by setting up Telangana Regional Council.No doubt this would sound music to the ears of majority people living in costal Andhra, Rayalaseema, and to some extent the capital city of Hyderabad, who might settle for anything but bifurcation of the state, those favoring separation of the state, mainly in interior Telangana region, this would be a bitter pill to swallow and the tempers are bound to rise once again. It is highly unlikely then that the government will go ahead and pursue option six at this juncture when its own position is under threat as it is facing serious corruption charges, be it on the 2G telecom scam, Common Wealth Games scam, Swiss bank black money issue; or from high inflation and rising food prices. Furthermore, the political ramifications of the separation of Andhra Pradesh are far too many and far too serious, which could open up a pandora’s box of demands for smaller states; not to mention the immediate aftermath would be the wrath of the people and spate of resignations from the elected representatives across the political spectrum in Seemandhra region. However, it remains to be seen if the government at the centre can afford to carve out a separate state of Telangana from South India’s largest state in keeping with its announcement made in Indian Parliament on December 9, 2009.
Now that Justice Srikrishna committee report on the situation in Andhra Pradesh is out in the public domain, the focus is shifted to what decision the government at the centre will take vis-à-vis creation of a separate Telangana state or maintaining the status quo. The complexity of the issue is quite evident. Thanks to the report, by giving six options to the law makers, Justice Srikrishna literally put everybody in a fix on what could happen next. On its part, India's Home ministry lost no time in sending the message across that it is seriously considering option six more closely, the only feasible alternative favored by the Srikrishna Committee. 
