The Telangana movement refers to a group of related political activities organized to support the creation of a new state of Telangana, from the existing state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The proposed new state corresponds to the Telugu-speaking portions of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad.
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When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad, a Muslim king, wanted Hyderabad State to remain independent under the special provisions given to princely states. The Hindus of the Hyderabad State who accounted for 93 per cent of its population, launched the `Join India' movement with the cooperation of a few patriotic Muslims for the integration of the State with the rest of the country. The State Congress leaders and Arya Samaj leaders invoked themselves whole-heartedly in the movement. The peasants of the state, influenced by the Communist party, had also revolted against the Nizam, who tried to suppress their armed struggle against landlords. Qasim Razvi led private Razakar Muslim army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule, did worst forms of atrocities on people.[1][2][3] The Government of India liberated and assimilated the Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army called Operation Polo.
In December 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines.[4] The commission, due to public demand, recommended disintegration of Hyderabad state and to merge Marathi speaking region with Bombay state and Kannada speaking region with Mysore state. The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telugu speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad state with Andhra state, despite their common language. Para 378 of the SRC report said "One of the principal causes of opposition of Vishalandhra also seems to be the apprehension felt by the educationally backward people of Telangana that they may be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people of the coastal areas."
Andhra state and Telangana was merged to form Andhra Pradesh state on 1 November 1956 after providing safeguards to Telangana in the form of Gentlemen's agreement.
Grievances of Telangana proponents
Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment of Andhra Pradesh to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution.[5][6][7]
| In Favor | Against | Neutral |
|---|---|---|
| TRS (2/12) | MIM (1/7) | Congressa(12/154) |
| BJP (0/2) | CPI(M) (0/1) | TDPa (6/84) |
| CPI (0/4) | YSR Congressb (1/1) | |
| PRPc (0/17) | ||
| Lok Sattaa (0/1) |
In parenthesis (MP seats/MLA seats from Andhra Pradesh)[8] [9]
(a) Parties which were in favor of Telangana state before Dec 9, 2009, but changed the stand to neutral on Dec 10, 2009, the day the process for formation of Telangana state was announced by central government and later retracted on December 23.
(b) YSR-Congress party was formed by break away group of Congress party in 2010. Its president Jagan Mohan Reddy opposed the Telangana state formation immediately after Dec 9, 2009. His stand on Telangana is not known before December 9, 2009. But now the YSR-Congress party took neutral stand because of the pressure from their Telangana leaders. [10]
(c) PrajaRajyam party was in favor before Dec 9, 2009, and opposed it later which caused the split in the party when Telangana MLAs quit the party. In 2011, PRP(inclduing Telangana MLAs) merged with Congress party, which is neutral on Telangana.[11]
Soon after the formation of Andhra Pradesh, people of Telangana expressed dissatisfaction over how the agreements and guarantees were implemented.[12] On 19 January 1969, all party accord was reached to ensure the proper implementation of Telangana safeguards. Telangana leaders were not satisfied with the accord. Movement turned violent and army had to be called in. After several days of talks with leaders of both regions, on 12 April 1969, Prime minister came up with Eight point plan.[13] Telangana leaders rejected the plan and protests continued under the leadership of newly formed political party Telangana Praja Samithi in 1969 asking for the formation of telangana and people continued to get killed in police firing. Under the Mulki rules in force at the time, anyone who had lived in Hyderabad for 15 years was considered a local, and was thus eligible for certain government posts. When the Supreme Court upheld the Mulki rules at the end of 1972, the Jai Andhra movement, with the aim of re-forming a separate state of Andhra, was started in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
On 21 September 1973, a political settlement was reached with the Government of India with a Six-Point Formula. It was agreed upon by the leaders of the two regions to prevent any recurrence of such agitations in the future. To avoid legal problems, constitution was amended(32nd amendment) to give the legal sanctity to the Six-point formula.[14]
In 1985, when Telangana employees complained about the violations to six point formula, government enacted government order 610(GO 610) to correct the violations in recruitment. As Telangana people complained about non implementation of GO 610, in 2001, government constituted Girglani commission to look into violations.[15]
In 1997, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed a resolution seeking a separate Telangana.[16] A new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), led by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), was formed in 2001 with the single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital.[17]
In April 2002, the home minister during the NDA government, BJP leader L.K. Advani wrote a letter to MP A. Narendra rejecting a proposal to create Telangana state explaining that “regional disparities in economic development could be tackled through planning and efficient use of available resources”. He said that the NDA government, therefore, does “not propose creation of a separate state of Telangana” [18]
For the 2004 Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region that promised a separate Telangana State. Congress came to power in the state and formed a coalition government at the centre; TRS joined the coalition and was successful in making a separate Telangana state a part of the common minimum programme of the coalition government. However, again in 2006, the then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy categorically said that the state would remain united.
In February 2009 the state government declared that it had no objection, in principle, to the formation of separate Telangana and that the time had come to move forward decisively on this issue. To resolve related issues, the government constituted a joint house committee.[19] In the lead-up to the 2009 General Elections in India, all the major parties in Andhra Pradesh supported the formation of Telangana.[20]
In the 2009 elections TRS managed to win only 10 assembly seats out of the 45 it contested and only 2 MP seats. Some media analysts thought Telangana sentiment faded. [21]
On 29 November 2009 TRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament.[22] Student organizations, employee unions, and various organizations joined the movement.[23] General strikes shut down Telangana on 6 and 7 December.[24] In an all party meeting called by the state government on the night of December 7 to discuss regarding KCR's fast and how to handle it[25], all major Opposition parties extended their support for a separate state for Telangana. The state Congress and its ally Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have left it to the Congress high command to take a final decision. Minutes of the meeting were faxed to Congress high command.[26]
Telangana State Formation process Announcement
On 9 December 2009, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram announced that the Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. This resulted in protests across both Andhra and Rayalseema and MLAs from these regions submitted their resignations in protest.[27] On 23 December, the Government of India announced that no action on Telangana will be taken until a consensus is reached by all parties.[28] Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema region MLAs started withdrawing their resignations while MLAs and ministers from Telangana started submitting their resignations, and demanded that the Centre take immediate steps to initiate the process of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.[29]
BJP leader and leader of opposition in Loka Sabha, Sushma Swaraj in 2010 said that they would have formed the Telangana State along with Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand in year 2000 but the Telugu Desam, which extended outside support to it, opposed the plan.[30]
On 3 February the government announced the five-member committee headed by Justice SriKrishna that would look into the issue.[31]
In an all-party meeting on 6 January 2011, which was boycotted by the TRS, BJP and TDP, the Home ministry released the 505-page Srikrishna committee . The report discusses six solutions to the problem. The preferred option is Keeping the State united by simultaneously providing certain definite constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council. The second best option is Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries, with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.[32][33]
On 23 March 2011, Justice L Narasimha Reddy of Andhra Pradesh high court ordered central government to make contents of 8th chapter of Sri Krishna Committee, which was submitted in a sealed secret cover to the centre.[34] Justice in his 60 page judgement said "The Committee travelled beyond the terms of reference in its endeavour to persuade the Union of India not to accede to the demand for Telangana". The judgement also quoted the SKC report's 8th chapter and said "The maneuver suggested by the Committee in its secret supplementary note poses an open challenge, if not threat, to the very system of democracy."
On 26 April, a division bench comprising the Chief Justice of the AP high court has stayed the order of Justice L Narasimha Reddy who had directed the Centre to make public the secret Chapter.[35][36]
On 17 February 2011 noncooperation movement was started which lasted for 16days with participation by 300,000 government employees. It caused Rs 8 billion per day in revenue to government.[37][38] In February and March, Assembly session was boycotted for weeks and Parliament session was disrupted for several days by Telangana representatives.[39][40] [41]
Million March was organized by Telangana JAC in Hyderabad on 10 March 2010. In a move to disrupt the march, police arrested over thousand activists throughout the region and closed down entry to Hyderabad city by stopping certain transportation services and diverting traffic.[42][43][44] Around 50,000 people reached the venue of the march, Tank Bund by hoodwinking police.[45] Some Telangana activists damaged 16 statues of personalties hailed form Seema-Andhra representing Telugu culture language. They threw some of the remnants into the lake.[46] Top leaders of all political parties in the state and various cultural organizations condemned the vandalism.[47]
In November 2011, Telangana Rashtra Samiti Vidyarthi Vibhagam ( TRSV) state president Balki Suman was arrested by Hyderabad police after cases were registered against him in connection with damaging statues on Tank Bund during the 'Million March,' attacking police personnel, damaging police and media vehicles. [48]
Fearing law & order problem due to violence similar to the Million March incident, State police refused to give permission to TRS to hold their formation day public meeting in Parade grounds in Hyderabad. The state government sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for repair and re-installation of statues on Tank Bund, demolished during the Million March programme. Along with installation of the 16 statues, another new statue of social activist from Telangana, Komaram Bheem, would also be installed. Both TJAC & the Telangana Congress leaders set fresh deadlines to renew their agitation. On 4 July 2011 as many as 81 of 119 Telangana MLAs in the state, 12 out of 15 Telangana ministers in state, 13 out of 17 Telangana MPs in Lok Sabha, 1 Rajyasabha MP(Congress), 20 MLCs resigned protesting delay in the formation of Telangana. On 20 July, 30-year-old Yadi Reddy was found dead 100 yards from Parliament House in Delhi. An eight-page suicide note says the young driver from greater Hyderabad region of Telangana was upset over the government not creating a new state for his homeland. The speaker of the AP assembly on 23 July summarily rejected the resignations of all 101 MLAs citing that they were made in an emotionally surcharged atmosphere.[49]
What are we demanding? We are asking you to respect the word you have given in the Parliament before the 120 crore people of this country. We are not asking any thing else.— K. Chandrashekar Rao on 12 September 2011[50]
On 12 September 2011, a day before Sakala Janula Samme(All people's strike), TRS organized a public meeting in Karimnagar which was attended by over a million people including Telangana JAC leaders, BJP and New Democracy party leaders. [50] Starting 13 September, as part of 'strike by all section of people' supporting Telangana statehood, government employees throughout Telangana stayed out of work affecting government offices throughout the region and vowed to continue it till the formation of Telangana state. Lawyers started boycotting courts.[51] 60,000 coal miners of Singareni Collieries(SCCL Ltd.) also joined the strike. [52][53] On 14 September and 15, nearly 450 movie Theaters in Telangana were closed at the call given by Telangana film chamber.[54] Starting 16 September, government teachers joined the strike. Private school managements declared one day holday in support of the strike.[55] On 19 September, state road transport corporation employees and state electricity board employees in Telangana joined the indefinite strike.[56]
The rail roko programe at various places in the city became a conglomeration of various facets of the Telangana culture. With music, dance, plays and a sumptuous lunch, Manoharabad railway station, one of the hotspots, wore the look of a weekly fair.— The New Indian Express[57]
On a call given by JAC, road blockades on national highways throughout Telangana, the rail blockade by JAC and the strike of auto rikshaw union on 24 September and 25 disrupted transport services.[58] [59] Virtually all sections of people joined this strike.[60] On 30 September, as the strike enter 18th day, even while Congress central leadership meeting several Telangana congress leaders, JAC called a bundh in Hyderabad city.[61] On 2 October, JAC leaders, employee unions leaders and TRS leaders including KCR met Prime minister to explain the grave situation in Telangna due to the strike and asked to expedite the decision on the statehood demand.[62] The strike has resulted in an unprecedented power crisis in the state. On 4 October, only 223 MU of power generated against the demand of 275MU impacting both the industry and agriculture.[63]
On 9 October, some workers of the Youth Congress agitated and threw chairs at each other at the Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad during a membership drive demanding that it be postponed until the Central Government of India made any official announcement on Telangana. They also demanded that a separate Telangana Youth Congress be formed for the youth from Telangana.[64] On October 10, Telangana activists attacked a private college in Hyderabad and threw stones at the windows of the NRI College in Kukatpally, where majority residents are migrants from Andhra region, badly damaging the window panes. The parents of some children protested outside the college demanding that schools and colleges be excluded from the strikes and conflicts as the students have missed classes for a month already and they were worried about their future. The majority of colleges and schools remained shut in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.[65]
Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) president criticized that KCR, TJAC Chariman Kodandaram, Harish Rao and others were encouraging the students to take active part in the ongoing agitation for Telangana, and alleged that they were not allowing their own children to take part in the stir. While demanding that the Telangana leaders disclose the details of where their children were pursuing studies, he said that children from oppressed sections of the society, were being deprived of the opportunity to pursue studies, under the influence of the T-stir, while the children from the T-leaders were being sent abroad or other areas, to pursue studies without any disturbance.[66] On 22 October, activists of the Prajasanghala (People’s organisations) JAC protested in front of Prof. Kodandram's house alleging that the TJAC changed its stand on Sakala Janula Samme and on a separate Telangana after Kodandaram and KCR's visit to New Delhi. They alleged the TJAC had entered into a pact with the Centre and is deliberately diluting the movement.[67]
On 11 October, a case was filed against KCR, under IPC section 153, for delivering instigating speeches and creating rift between people from different regions in the state. FIR said that he had tried to instigate people to attack Telangana representatives for not resigning for the cause of Telangana.[68] Later that day, Police have also added the two leaders Swami Goud and Vithal of the Telangana Joint Action Committee after they demanded that the Police of Hyderabad city would also join the struggle for a separate state.[69] The Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee reported that KCR was behaving rudely while he was in Telangana region and wise when he was Delhi, at the Union government. They also demanded that the government should seize the properties of KCR as to recover from the losses caused by the All people's strike.[70]
There is no need to continue the strike as their opinion over Telangana is received already by Congress high command and the Centre.
After being criticized by both the Congress high command as well as the Centre over how he has been handling the issue, CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government would adopt a zero-tolerance system and will initiate stern action against anyone if they try to create any law and order problem or cause any inconvenience to the people. [72] He cautioned them saying that the stir is spoiling the prospects of the youth.[73] After 22 days of strike, the APSRTC resumed plying buses after one of the unions suspended the strike.[74] Telangana union leaders condemned the decision and said that a union leader belonging to Andhra-Seema region had no right to withdraw the strike.[75] This led to split in the union and Telangana union leaders floated a separate body and decided to continue the strike. Due to this, only few buses returned to service.[76] On 13 October, the parents of most school-going children warned the TJAC that to call of the strike for the schools and colleges by 15 October after which they will chalk out their course of action.[77] Eight Congress MPs from Telangana, who resigned in July demanding a separate state of Telangana, insisted the speaker to accept their resignations on 12 October. They also demanded that the Group-II exams, screening test for thousands of state government jobs, be postponed until the strike is over.[78]
Sakala Janula Samme launched by the TJAC has already entered the 30th day. People of Telangana are facing several hardships due to the strike. Many Telangana youths have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana. Despite all this, the Congress high command is unwilling to spell out its stand on the issue.
As the All People's strike entered the 30th day on 14 October 2011, Medak's MP Vijayashanti criticized the Congress high command for the delay in making the decision on Telangana and said Congress wants the issue to prolong until 2014. She further said the strike should continue until the formation of Telanana state.[79] On that day, the government of Andhra Pradesh decided to hold talks with the Employees Joint Action Committee and initiate action against uniformed personnel who participated in the strike[80] KT Rama Rao alleged that the CM of Andhra Pradesh was bribing the T Congress MLAs to lure them out of the agitation.[81] This was strongly refuted by the Congress leaders who demanded an apology from KTR and challenged him to reveal the names of MLAs who took bribe.[82]
On the 1st day of Rail blockade on October 15, 110 trains were cancelled and 68 trains were diverted. The railways operated 12 trains and Hyderabad metro trails with full police protection. Telangana protestors tried to have sit in on rail platforms or on railway tracks at various places. Police arrested thousands of protesters including eight MPs and four MLAs.[83][84] On same day, employee unions of road transport corporation called off the strike. On 16 October, JAC gave a call for Telangana Bundh(general stike) for next day to protest the police's "reign of terror to suppress" the agitation during the rail blockade and said they are cancelling the 3rd day of rail blockade on Oct 17. Teachers union also said they will attend the schools in the interest of students but they will not sign the attendance registers and will not take the salaries.[85] Some teachers donated the salary they got for the strike period. They felt that teachers have become scapegoats at the hands of the their state leaders who have a personal agenda and called off the strike as part of this.[86] Normal life was again affected as the public transport facilities, especially busses which were properly resumed after the 28-day long strike were again off the roads. Schools, colleges and offices were again shut for 17 October, as the agitation continued.[87] On the same day, Coal miners called off their strike.[88]
On October 17, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who resigned from assembly and from TDP to join TRS, re-elected to assembly by about 50 thousand majority. He got about 68% of polled votes while his opponent from congress got 27% votes. TDP did not field a candidate.[89] Afer his victory in Banswada bypoll, he warned Andhra settlers in the region with dire consequences for not voting for him. He had hoped for one lakh majority in the byelection in view of the ongoing high voltage Telangana movement. But to his dismay, Congress candidate could get a comfortable 33,356 votes. The frustrated Srinivas Reddy accused Andhra settlers of ignoring the Telangana sentiment and voting for Congress candidate. This hurt the feelings of settlers in the region.[90]
After 42days, on October 24, government employees unions called off the strike. Kodandaram said that the strike had impacted the overall thinking of the Centre towards creation of separate State and the movement will continue with other protest activities.[91]
In response to a lawsuit that seeks a direction that a new state shouldn’t be carved out from the parent territory, the Supreme Court of India took strong exception to the prolonged agitation during which normal life gets affected, courts become paralysed and colossal damage is done to public property. It sought responses from the AP government and TRS.[105]
With the agitation for statehood to Telangana intensifying, the congress has decided to speed up all the discussions and quickly solve the problem. On 30 September 2011 Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress party's AP state in-charge, submitted to Congress president an internal party report about Telangana issue after holding consultations with leaders from Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions for over two months.[106] On 8 October, Azad said that the key leaders of the Congress and the centre have met nine leaders from Andhra Pradesh including the chief minister and are working on finding a solution to the issue as soon as possible.[107] PM Manmohan Singh indicated that resolving the Telangana statehood issue might “take some time.” Maintaining that there has not been any “inaction” by the government over the crisis, the Prime Minister said that “given the complications involved in settlement, it will take some time.” Dr Singh said that the government "is engaged in widespread dialogue and discussions with all the stakeholders and hopes to reach a win-win situation for all concerned through the process."[108]
On October 29, 2011, three Telangana Congress party MLAs resigned and joined TRS party in protest as they were diappointed with Congress leadership's delay in Telangana state formation.[109]
Many Telangana activists headed by Telangana Praja Front leader Gaddar are contemplating to form a new party to take the Telangana movement forward. Dr Sangam Prithviraj, leader of the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee, who supports Gaddar in forming the new political force, also blamed KCR for the movement fizzling out. "KCR kept the students out of the agitation this time and this was an intentional ploy to ensure that the new state is not formed," he said.[110]
With fears of Maoists infiltrating the Telangana movement, the CM of Andhra Pradesh was provided with bullet proof podium for his speech on AP formation day on 1 November 2011.[111]
On November 1, Congress MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy started an indefinite hunger strike until the Centre announced a roadmap for Telangana state.[112] On November 6, the fast was broken when Police arrested him under Section 309 of IPC (attempt to commit suicide) and shifted him to NIMS, Hyderabad where he is under intravenous fluids. He ended his fast on November 9.[113] 97-year old Freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji also launched his week-long satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding statehood to the region.[114]
On November 7, 2011 Actress Shriya Saran was attacked by a mob claiming to be TRS activists during a shoot in Hyderabad. They threatened her to say 'Jai Telangana' by shouting out cuss words. The actress later tweeted, "How can they break my car, throw stones, stop shoot and threaten me to say Jai Telangana. That too in broad day light, Police staring at all of this. What about freedom and safety? Thank god the stone didn't hit me. Both the windows of my car are broken. I am disgusted, I'm born in India. I deserve my freedom and safety is my right (sic)".[115] TRS activists also attacked Parakala Prabhakar when in a Television interview he said that there was no Telangana sentiment among people and whatever Prof. Jayashankar claimed about injustice meted out to Telangana was false propaganda and he was ready to prove his point given a chance.[116]
On November 10, 2011 Andhra Pradesh state Director General of Police said there is no active involvement of Maoists in the Telangana movement.[117]
After the proposal by UP Chief Minister Mayawati to split Uttar Pradesh into four states, the BJP, which is a strong advocate of smaller states, demanded formation of the second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) for restructuring and splitting big states into smaller ones.[118]
Telangana is a complicated matter and we are trying to evolve a consensus, where all shades of public opinion would agree that what is being done is in the interest of each and everyone. We cannot solve the problem of Telangana by agreeing to Telangana state while there is disquiet and unrest in other regions of Andhra Pradesh. From the frying pan to the fire is not an appropriate solution to the national problem— Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 12 November 2011[119]
Minister of State for Home Affairs, Jitendra singh informed in the Rajya Sabha that the government of India will move to create a new state only when there is a consensus in the parent state that one part be separated to form a new state.[120]
In December 2011, TRS Politburo member C Sudhakar was sentenced to one year in jail under the provisions of National Security Act. He was arrested during the Sakala Janula Samme on the charges that he hurled stones on RTC buses and prevented Andhra region buses from plying in Telangana.[121]