The Congress Should Act Before it’s Too Late

By Javid Hassan

The Congress Party should stop being a fence-sitter and spell out its stand clearly as the juggernaut of the Telangana movement thunders towards its goal of a separate state. By appearing as a faction-ridden party in Andhra Pradesh and as an organization that believes in a marriage of convenience at the all-India level, it has exposed its weaknesses, which the BJP and other political outfits are exploiting in the context of the snowballing movement.

Given the fact that all other parties have an equally dismal record when it comes to delivering on promise or sticking to principles, the Congress has an edge over them, as it was during its tenure that India gained an international stature and became a force to reckon with. It has also stood up for the minorities and other backward classes, besides pursuing a policy of raising India’s profile on the educational and technological fronts.

The other plus point in its favour was seen in the recent Assembly elections, where it won 3-2 by sweeping the polls in Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram and losing out to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. These electoral victories could yield political mileage in the general elections scheduled in April next year.

Yet, its track record especially in Andhra Pradesh, has become a political liability when it went back on its promise of creating a separate Telangana state after it won the elections with the support of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).

That the party acts according to its own agenda rather than the national agenda came to the fore much earlier in 1956 when the Centrally-appointed

States Reorganization Commission (SRC) declared that it was not in favour of merging the Telangana region with the then Andhra state. Para 382 of the SRC Report said: "..opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit, (while) public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallize itself".

The concerns of the Telangana people were on several grounds. The region had a less developed economy than Andhra, but a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which Telanganites feared might be diverted for use in Andhra.

Even so, the Centre bypassed the SRC recommendations and opted for a unified Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956 after a "Gentlemen's agreement" assured the Telangana people that their interests would be safeguarded. Although the Congress faced an internal revolt on this score, its leadership stood against additional linguistic states, which were regarded as "antinational."

This triggered a spate of defections from the Congress led by Dr.M. Chenna Reddy, who founded the Telangana People's Association (Telangana Praja Samithi). Despite electoral successes, however, some of the new party leaders withdrew their support to the agitation in September 1971 and rejoined the Congress for their own ends.

However, the Telangana movement received a new lease of life during the 1990s when the BJP promised a separate Telangana state if it came to power. But the BJP could not live up to its promise due to the opposition from its coalition partner, Telugu Desam Party.

This game of political charade was again in evidence when Congress party MLAs from the Telangana region constituted a Telangana Congress Legislators Forum in support of a separate Telangana state. The launch of a new party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (or TRS), was masterminded with the same goal in view— a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital.

That the Congress has never been unified in its ranks was again in evidence earlier this year when two senior leaders, who were leading a movement for a Telanagna state for the past few months, changed their stance during a meeting of the party’s state unit, when Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was present.

This game of political horse trading and floor crossing that the Congress has been playing for the last four decades has got to end not only in its own interest but also in the larger socio-economic interest of the region and its people. We would like to know when the party will crystallize its stand instead of changing its colors like a chameleon.

In a perceptive paper titled “Separate Telangana: Beginning of the End” published in Mainstream (September 29- October 5, 2006 ) its author Sreedhar argues emphatically that Telangana state is not going to be a reality. He cites various reasons that may compel the Congress-I to deny a separate statehood for Telangana.

The paper lists four major factors that, according to him, do not justify the demand for a separate Telangana. First, the movement lost its chance apparently because it was not spearheaded by one of the Congress leaders, “especially the one who has weight to throw around or disturb the peace of delhiwallahs.”

Secondly, the Congress started doubting the ability of TRS to govern the state because of its links with Naxalites. Thirdly, the state developed its knowledge-based-industry during the TDP regime which the YSR government is vigorously pursuing by creating employment opportunities in a big way, rendering the demand for a separate Telangana irrelevant. Fourthly, more than one million NRIs from Andhra, who went to Europe and North America during the 1980s, are willing to invest in the region as an undivided state.

However, according to Syed Zia-ur-Rahman, NRI from the Telangana region now based in Saudi Arabia, Congress-I’s interests in the current situation would be best served if it backs the Telangana movement instead of remaining non-committal. He argues that given the track record of all the parties championing its cause, the Congress is still the best bet for the region in spite of all its wrongdoing in the past.

Zia points out that even though the Muslims are an influential minority in the region, they have never been consulted by any of the political players. Moreover, their track record vis-à-vis Muslims leaves much to be desired. He doubts the credibility of the parties that claim to work with a single-minded devotion for the welfare of the Telanganites. “It’s about khissa kursi ka,” he says, referring to the political plums and cherries that the politicians would pick for themselves if Telangana becomes a separate state.

It is a fact that all parties across the political spectrum put their own interests above everything else, even though they profess to work for the downtrodden and the dispossessed. At least the Congress fares better on the political score board, since it has provided educational and employment facilities for minorities which some parties have balked at.

Since the Congress has done fairly well in the state elections, it should turn that political capital to its advantage by forging alliances with parties. A separate Telangana is set to become a reality in 2009. The Congress should not create a political vacuum for others to fill in. No one wants to jump from the frying pan into the fire, with the evil forces waiting to pounce on them.

However, the biggest challenge for the Congress this time is that it finds iself wedged between the left and the rightwing parties. On top of it, pop star Chiranjeevi could eat away Congress votes, leaving it high and dry. The political stakes are high which only its political heavyweights can counter on this new Telangana chess board.