AP's 'Big Three' unlikely to talk on Telangana

By M H Ahssan

With Y S Rajasekhara Reddy announcing on the floor of the Assembly that he would set up a committee of legislators to take a firm view on the creation of a new state, hopes have been aroused in some pro-Telangana quarters. But analysts say that these hopes are misplaced because none of the big three in the fray for elections in Andhra Pradesh — Rajasekhara Reddy, C h a n d r ab abu Naidu and Chiranjeevi — is really interested in creating a new state, their utterances notwithstanding.

The analysts point out that these netas are making promises to consider creation of a new state knowing fully well that they will not be taken to task anytime in the future for reneging on their promises. This complacency is born out of the belief that the people of Telangana are not charged enough to extract their pound of flesh in the form of a new state. Analysts point out that the situation is akin to a group of employees asking for a salary hike out of turn — if they are not ready to quit their jobs if they don’t get a hike, they are unlikely to get a hike. But they might expect to get a raise if they take the extreme step of resigning.

These analysts believe that so long as the people of Telangana do not come out on the streets agitating, braving police bullets and jail, the chances of their getting Telangana are remote. “Don’t get me wrong. Nobody in Telangana is opposed to Telangana. Everybody would welcome the formation of a new state, but to most it does not matter if a new state is created or not,” a Congress politician says. The most desirous are the students and middle class professionals like lawyers, bank and government officials who see more job opportunities and activities in a new state.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao begs to differ from the logic of braving bullets and going to jail before a new state can be created. “Were Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh created after prolonged agitations?” he asks. He is right. For that matter even a separate nation of Pakistan was not carved after an intense movement. But in the case of Pakistan and even Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the creators (UK & NDA governments respectively) had an interest in doing so, for various reasons.

“The big three perceive that in the Andhra region they would be punished for creating Telangana, whereas in Telangana they would not be so for not creating a state,” concedes a top Congressman. “This was essentially the line that Rajasekhara Reddy successfully sold to Sonia Madam,” he adds. The only circumstance in which Telangana could be created — without the denizens of the region doing anything for it — is if the BJP-led NDA coalition would come to power in New Delhi after the general elections. This is because the BJP has virtually no presence in any part of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana. So for them, there can be no negative fallout as a result of the creation of the new state. On the other hand, they can create a base for themselves in the newly formed Telangana and thus extend their southern influence.