[dropcap]K[/dropcap]alvakuntla Chandrasekhara Rao, who Monday took over as the first chief minister of Telangana, is the man of the moment with an indomitable spirit. Watching the celebrations break across the region with the announcement one could not help but feel a tinge of envy. Envy because the 60 + year timeline of the creation of the state has been strewn with hurdles and misgivings, yet in the end the steadfastness that accompanies what you believe to be right, has seen its leaders through.
On November 1, 1956,Telangana was merged with the Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh.
This led to a massive revolt called the ‘Jai Telangana Movement’ launched by people in Telangana demanding a separate state in 1968-69.As conciliatory measure, the All-Party State Accord was signed. Indira Gandhi also announced packages for the region, styled an eight-point formula and a five-point formulaThis provoked, the anti-Telangana stir — the ‘Jai Andhra Movement’. The Centre, post the stir, did a volte face and nullified almost all the safeguards that had been put in place.
Yes, the movement sparked horrific incidents of violence throughout the once unified state of Andhra Pradesh. In 2010, it was reported that 73 students had committed suicide and 1,812 students attempted to take their own lives demanding that a separate state of Telangana be created. Also, during the 1969 Telangana Agitation, a crowd of over 1,000 agitators had tried to set fire to a sub-inspector’s residence.
Telangana today is on the verge of going down in history as one of the world’s mass movements, and KCR will be remembered for reviving the movement for a separate state 14 years ago.
Envy perhaps stemmed from an unconscious comparison to the struggle of the rights of Nagas. The demands are no less. But the violence in Nagaland which was inflicted by the Indian Armed Forces has now degenerated into brothers killing brothers. One has to strain to look out for that single mindedness of leaders, and of a people’s movement, keeping their wits around them. Or am I misreading the picture, here.
