Congress and Telangana

Generally, we see quite often when little kids are fighting with each other they will not stop until they are shouted at or beaten up. Same is the case here in the Parliament of India. People in favor of the T bill will not hold the bill and people against will not let it to pass. But ultimately the indications are clear that the T bill will be passed in this session. Congress party had been so adamant on anything that they want to do that they will make it happen. Top of all, at this point when LS elections are round the corner, the Congress will make sure that the T bill is passed. Quite a lot on their words "Jan Jan ko chua, Jan Jeevan ko chua" - the tag line of Congress these days on every channel. Bifurcation is nothing but division and this division is in all terms.

• Why our president or PM or Judiciary didn't talk about the injustice proposed to Seemandhra Region through the bill?
• Why they are acting like puppets in the hands of Italian Gandhi?
• Congressmen are in power in all these 9 Yrs. They not developed any other city like HYD in all these years? Where is the New Capital?
• Why there is no international airport? Good government hospital equivalent to NIMS or Nilophar or Agricultural University? Why no IIT or IIM or renowned engineering?
• Why no single metro city? There are no considerable software parks neither other industries which can provide employment opportunities.
• Why you want to divide the state? if is for development of telangana, then, why can't they give some package to develop/ clear the issues of telangana people. Govt. has to invest lot of money for creation of new state capital/ high count and govt offices. The same amount can be utilized to develop/ sort the issues of people in telangana region.

Both houses of parliament were disrupted for the sixth successive day Wednesday following noisy disruptions over the Telangana issue, with two MPs almost coming to blows in the LokSabhaas copies of official papers were torn and thrown in the air. Both houses witnessed ugly scenes. There was chaos during the presentation of the interim rail budget in the LokSabha that forced Railway Minister MallikarjunKharge to cut short his speech. The space near the speaker's podium resembled a battle ground as members both favouring and opposing Telangana state shouted slogans and showed placards during the presentation of the interim rail budget.

PM's anguish is understandable from his gross failure , indifference and helplessness to sense the mood of the people of both regions to resolve the issue amicably. He has been a PM with difference i.e. to act under directions and not on judgment. UPA has taken its AP ministers and MLAs for granted as non-questioning and always say Yes bunch. But when the going gets rough and tough even such people revolt particularly when peaceful representations and appeals are buried under carpet called party discipline. This is one issue where any number of times the decisions can and should take directional changes due to the very volatility and uncertainty associated with it. If the vote and seat winning prospects are the only criterion that apply here this is what that can happen. Even today the representatives of both regions are involved in the settlement process under neutral coordinating agency and the decisions are being taken by Government where no single member is aware of basic information. When democratic process takes a detour like this the disorder which is but a emotional and compelling reaction of affected group cannot be faulted as undemocratic.

There is an overall rationality in the formation of our various states and we should be very careful not to break this foundation of rationality in momentary passions. As I said at the beginning we should consider the feelings of people but it would be very wrong for the government to be swept away by feelings. We must see what is in the larger interest of the people themselves. We are not saying that the interest of the people of Telengana should be sacrificed for United Andhra interest or for the interest of other parts of India. But the government must think in a very calm manner about the interest of the people of that very region and see what will serve their interest best.

We must look at this matter in larger perspective - The very first article of our constitution declares that India is a union of states. Each state has had a long cultural and historical tradition and each state has become a political entity in its own special way. Andhra Pradesh has been a distinctive cultural unit for thousands of years. The name has been found in the earliest Buddhist writings. All the parts which now constitute Andhra Pradesh have been under one umbrella for long periods of history. Let us not look at just the immediate period of history.

A third point was that Telengana is not the only backward area in the state. Parliament represents the will of the whole nation. Its duty is not merely to go into the rights and wrongs of a situation but also to view problems from the national point of view; MPs should consider them as merely the representatives of one little area but as the representatives of the whole country and the entire people of India. And each problem has to be viewed from that angle.