Will creation of a separate Telangana state set a dangerous precedent? Or is giving political shape to aspirations of the people the right thing to do in a federal structure? Senior journalist Kalyani Shankar joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue.
Q. Will this spur up the demand for separate states in other areas as well? And if all such demands happen at the same time, do we have the wherewithal to address the civilian unrest that is likely follow as a result of such demands? Asked by: consvenkat
A. You can see the domino effect of the Telengana already. BSP chief Mayawati has already demanded breaking UP into four states. Gorkha land demand has been revived again and so is that of Bodoland. Vidarbha issue was raised yesterday itself by the Congress Working Committee member Mukul Wasnik. So the list goes on. Your question about the preparedness of the centre to deal with this civil unrest is interesting as it is going to be really difficult if so many demands come up at the same time.
Q. Congress/UPA is there in govt from 9 years continuous, why cant they develop Telengana rather than dividing Andhra Pradesh/Telugu people. All AP people brought international exposure to Hyderabad. How any once can loose Hyderabad. Asked by: Padmeswara Rao
A. If only the backward regions in every state were developed this demand for separate state would not have come up. Each state has its own way of dealing with development and most of them concentrate a particular region. Losing Hyderabad is going to be very difficult for the Andhra people as they have invested a lot in Hyderabad. That was why it took so long for the Congress to decide on a separate Telengana.
Q. Other than political gains is there any other rationale for this proposed division? Asked by: Srikanth
A. Earlier states were carved out from bigger states for backwardness or on linguistic basis. As far as Telengana is concerned, the demand has risen from its backwardness. The sentiment of the people was also probably taken into consideration. The timing of giving Telenanga now is purely for electoral benefits of the Congress and that too for a short term gain.
Q. Ma'am, considering history of Telangana, is it right to compare Telangana and other demands from various states for bifurcation. Thanks! Asked by: Rohan
A. There may be a history of Telengana since the fifties but the demand from the other states are also on the same basis that they are backward. So in a broader sense the other states also have a case. The best solution to resolve this would be to setup a Second State Reorganisation Commission to go into the issue thoroughly so that the unrest could be contained.
Q. Hi Madam, please explain what you see as the national interest in creating Telangana state. Asked by: Ramana Murthy
A. There is no national interest except smaller states could have faster development and better administration. Most of the demand for the smaller states arise mainly because of lack of development. I have nothing against smaller states as the US has 50 states. India too could have as many states but there should be a method in doing this.
Q. Why Kiran Kumar Reddy is not resigning? Is the party comes above the people? Asked by: Srinivas
A. Kiran Reddy wanted to resign but the Congress leadership in Delhi persuaded him not to do so at this point of time as it will create crisis in the state with the unrest in the Andhra areas. He will have to resign sooner or later as he will not get elected if he continues to be the chief minister. Most of the other ministers and MPs and MLAS in the Seema Andhra region also will have to resign if they want to get re-elected.
Q. What will be the status of Hyderabad? Will it be governed by both the AP and Telangana government or it will be governed by the centre. is it going to be like Chandigarh? For AP to develop its own capital is not possible. Asked by: sunj
A. Noting is clear as of now as the centre has to decide all these while preparing the bill for the statehood. Please wait and see.
Q. Was there any history behind formation of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and UK - Why were these created/split? Asked by: Dharam
A. The common thing was that they were backward and they were part of big states. In UP, chief ministers found it difficult to even tour all the 58 districts earlier. This unwieldy nature of the states as well as the aspirations of the people were responsible for the creation of these states.
Q. What impact do you see this having on the Lok Sabha elections? Esp for BJP and Cong - both from Andra and rest of the country. Asked by: Dharam
A. The BJP is irrelevant in Andhra Pradesh because it has not been able to make inroads in the state these past three decades despite trying hard. Andhra Pradesh had been the citadel of the Congress. This bifurcation will help the Congress to in Telengana if the TRS merges with it while the BJP may get at the most one seat. IN the rest of the country the demand has already begun from Gorkhaland, Vidarbha, Harit Pradesh and also for creating four states out fo UP. You have to see how the Congress handles these issues and how much it will affect its electoral prospects. The BJP can always get away claiming it wants smaller states,
Q. Its time to set the ball rolling for the second SRC, they should look into the genuine demands of some of the other areas clamoring for separation. They should have all the recognized party members and should come with acceptable rationale for formation of state. Asked by: S ESHWAR
A. I agree with you, A second SRC would help contain the demand and the government can also buy some time. This SRC can also come up with some guidelines for the creation of smaller states.
Q. How will creation of separate state of Telangana impact Congress and TDP in 2014 Lok Sabha elections? Asked by: Hafeez
A. The Congress may do well in Telengana if the TRS merges with it and the TDP may do better in the Seema Andhra areas in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Q. In terms of Economy will Telengana be poorer? Asked by: sundar1950in
A. The assets of both the states would be decided later and after getting its share Telengana should plan for its economy. How those in power will plan for improving its economy has to be seen later. As of now when the assets are divided there would be judicious division of assets
Q. Will Hyderabad get to be permanent Capital of both states a la Chandigarh? Asked by: sundar1950in
A. It is a million dollar question . Let us wait for some time . The Congress has left it vague because it wants to buy time and also in a hurry to fulfill its commitment.
Q. Dividing to Unite. Don't you find the call of Congress to TRS boss to merge with them, exposing the motives of the timing on the decision? Asked by: sundar1950in
A. The TRS has agreed to merge with the Congress and that is why Telengana has been created. The TRS too is not in a good shape and would like to merge with the Congress. So it suits both. The Congress is happy that it will become a Congress ruled state.
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