THE TELANGANA DILEMMA

The Telangana issue has left Andhra Pradesh limping. It began with KCR’s fast and slowly turned into a mass protest by Telangana supporters. The government cracked down under pressure and gave a go ahead to initiate the process of creating a separate state of Telangana. This upset the anti- telangana supporters who also took the streets, demanding the roll back of the decision

This issue is not about Telangana alone. It is an issue which will herald a new phase in Indian polity and also change the geographical dynamics of the nation. The two big questions that need to be answered before creating the new state are- 1) Is the government moving in the right direction by creating smaller states & 2) What is the basis on which separate states are going to be carved out?


The answer for the first question is- Yes, the government is very much taking the right step by creating newer states. History is a testimony that centres that are closer to the state capitals have developed at a much faster pace compared to other regions of the state. In many instances including Andhra Pradesh the resources are mainly located in the least developed areas but are utilized for regions proximate to the power centers. Smaller states will make administration smoother and efficient coupled with higher development of the areas that have been neglected by the corridors of power that a located in the state capitals. Decentralization is a key step forward. For the central government it is both a boon & bane to have smaller states. The boon is- smaller the states, lesser power they possess to bargain with the central government. But on the negative side, it will have many more chief ministers asking for funds. From the people’s perspective this will not only localize the issues but also give them more access to the government. Corruption will reduce and the government will be much more accountable. The disparity levels between the developed and non-developed areas would come down substantially.

The second question is more crucial. It is imperative to have a clear & articulate principle in place to decide the reorganizing of states. In the 60’s the restructuring committee took ‘language’ as the principle to create more states. Marathi & Gujarati speaking got their own states in the form of Maharashtra & Gujarat. Similarly, South India got four states speaking different languages. Many critics argue that a state that has one language should not be divided like in the case of Andhra Pradesh. But the recent examples of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand & Chattisgarh have proved to be really successful. Jharkand along with Bihar has a higher GDP & per capita income compared to undivided Bihar (Jharkhand was part of Bihar). The language spoken in all these states is the same as their parent states.

There are various ethnic groups like the gorkhas, karbis, bodos etc demanding for a separate state and so are politicians like Mayawati, Ajit Singh who feel Uttar Pradesh should be divided into two separate states as it is difficult to manage a big state. The voices demanding separate states are increasing but for different reasons. Ethnicity or even political mileage for certain parties should not be the criteria to divide states otherwise this whole exercise is futile and will turn out to be a catastrophe. Economic viability, better administration & inclusive development have to be the three basic principles on which states should be divided.

The government should first & foremost set up a restructuring state committee to lay down the basic principles and policy for creating new states. More number of states will not diminish India’s size nor will it curtail the cohesiveness that exists. On the contrary if handled with care and pragmatism this just might turn out to be a key tool in bolstering Indian development pace which is till lagging behind.

WILL HE WALK THE TALK?

Last week Rahul Gandhi made a visit to Tamil Nadu in order to rejuvenate the ‘youth Congress’. Ever since the Congress led UPA has come back to power, Rahul Gandhi has constantly mentioned that he has two goals for the Congress party- 1) Build the Youth Congress & 2) Bring in democracy within the Congress..It may sound ironical that the Gandhi scion who himself is a product of ‘dynasty’ politics wants to alter the system on which his family legacy has been build in the last 62 years. But before Rahul Gandhi could even assimilate this idea, his first test has arrived.

The death of the charismatic YSR Reddy has come as a huge shock for the Congress party. And even before it could come to terms with reality, the Congress high command is already facing a huge dilemma. The call for making Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSR’s son) the next chief minister is getting louder in Andhra Pradesh. Under the interim arrangement, K Rosaiah has taken over the chief ministership till a decsion is taken by the Congress high command. Jagan Mohan Reddy is a 4 month old-first time MP, primarily known as YSR’s son. In the last 4 years he has converted his Rs 40 crore business into a massive Rs 5000 crore conglomerate. Being a chief minister’s son made his job easier as inflow of funds & getting projects was not a major hassle. This remains his only success story on the business front.

Similary the upcoming Maharshtra assembly elections is another classic example of dynastic politics.Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde wants a party ticket for his son in law while union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is eyeing the Latur assembly seat candidature for his son Amit Deshmukh. Amit is not the first one to join politics from this generation as Deskhmkh’s younger son Dilp Deskmukh is already a minister in the current Ashok Chavan cabinet. But it is President Pratibha Patel’s lobbying for son Raosaheb Shekhawat’s candidature from the Amravati seat which is creating the maximum buzz.

Politics is like family business in India. Even in the current Union cabinet there are a plethora of ministers who are an outcome of ‘dynasty politics. Jyothiaditya Scindhia, Sachin Pilot, Jitin Prasada are epitomes of dynastic politics .Congress is not the only party that follows dynasty politics but definitely is the creator of this system which now persists across party lines. Even for the party it is a safe bet to allot ticket to a politician’s child as victory is assured in most cases. Tall leaders enjoy idol worhship & popularity which makes entry for the generation next very easy.

With this kind of a political atmosphere in the country where electoral gain presides over stengthening long term grass root level politics, Rahul Gandhi has a huge task ahead of him. He faces his first litmus test when the Congress party decides on the Andhra Pradesh chief ministership. Though, Rahul has evaded his question till now by stating that he is not part of the decision making body, it is a well know fact that no decision is taken by Sonia Gandhi without Rahul’s consent. He has so far turned down a minister’s post in the Union cabinet in order to set an example. It is not going to be an easy task to deny tickets & political positions for family members of regional leaders who enjoy huge support in their respective regions.

In Andhra Pradesh also YSR supporters want their beloved leader’s son as the next chief minister at any cost.If the party high command decides to turn down their request, it could lead to a split within the state Congress. When Indira Gandhi was assasinated in 1984, the party workers forced Rajiv Gandhi who at that time was a political novice to take over the Prime Ministership. So if Rajiv can then why not Reddy? These are the questions that Rahul Gandhi will have to tackle bearing in mind the reality of today’s politics.

The Congress has suffered in the past when the likes of Sharad Pawar & PA Sangma revolted against the Gandhi family for running the party. And if regional satraps are denied politicaal opportunites for their families, there is a peril of losing ground in their strong holds where the party relies heavily on local leaders. Rahul Gandhi faces his biggest challenge of rewriting the rules of game, which if successful could change the face of Indian politics.