LETTERS ADDRESSED BY SRI J.V. RAMANA REDDY TO Ms. SONIA GANDHI URGING HER TO KEEP UP UNITY OF THE STATE
1.
To
Smt. Sonia
Gandhi
25.07.2013
Honorable
Member of Parliament
and President
of All India Congress Committee
Madam,
We are writing this in the larger interest of the nation and the
wellbeing of Indian citizens. We are requesting you to take steps to preserve
the unity of the country by not allowing division of the present existing
linguistic states. If you do not act in time, this country will be divided into
small parts like the ancient princely states. This can only benefit the
neighbouring countries. Persons demanding division of linguistic states are
only doing so for their selfish ends. Please consider the following.
a. As
long as Dr. Rajasekar Reddy was there,
no one in his Ministry talked about division of the State. Why did they all
join the race for separation only after December 2009? Can we rely on such
“time-servers”?
b. What
is the credibility of the hooligans that have joined the Joint Action
Committees while being government employees? Should they not be penalized for
creation of anarchy in the country?
c. Don’t
you see that each of the regional political parties is dominated by one single family?
The bosses of those political parties act like autocrats and have no national
interest except short-term personal gains; the other members around them behave
like sycophants. Should they be encouraged?
d. Don’t
you see regional political parties jeopardize the future of this country?
e. Don’t
you agree Smt Indira Gandhi and Sri Rajiv Gandhi laid down their lives to keep
the country united? Shall we allow their sacrifices go waste?
f. Is
it not necessary for a leader to see the consequences of his/her actions in the
larger interest of the society?
Madam, we
urge you not allow the Indian National Congress to behave like a mere regional
party?
With regards,
Yours
sincerely,
J.V. Ramana
Reddy,
S R
Sankaran Grama Chaitanya Kendram,
Nellore District,
Andhra Pradesh – 524 406
* * * * *
2.
To
25.07.2013
Smt Sonia Gandhi
Chairperson
UPA
Sub:
- Please do not give in to selfish clamour for separate Telangana
Respected Madam,
Namaste,
It is being reported in
newspapers in Andhra Pradesh that you are on the verge of taking a final
decision on Telangana. We request you to go through the following points before
taking that decision. It is well know that you are not after power, since you
have declined the highest powerful post of the country. Also you have taken the
reins of the party only after great persuasion by the then party leaders. You
are also responsible for making a person with flawless character as the prime
minister. Given all the above, we look up to you to deliver a decision that
will be in the interests of the country rather than the interests of a few
landed classes in Telangana.
Allow us to point out that
1. The
allegation that Telangana region has been exploited by the rest of Andhra
Pradesh is absurd. The available statistics prove beyond doubt, only after the
formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, there was a faster growth in
all fields in Telangana region, compared to the other two regions of the state.
2.
One cannot deny that self respect of working
class has improved in Telangana region only after the formation of A.P. in
1956. Earlier these people were not
supposed to wear foot-ware in the presence of so called Doras, Patels, and
Patwaris, and also they were forced to run on barefoot in front of and on
either side of their carts drawn by horses. And also they were made habituated to utter humiliating words like “Nee
kalmoktha Dora” (I worship your feet), “nee banchan Dora” (I am your slave),
etc.
3. Bonded
labour which was prevalent in this region was abolished only in the integrated
State of A.P.
All these
developments have irked the earlier ruthless feudal bosses and their offsprings
of the erstwhile Hyderabad province of A.P.
It may further be noted that
4. Inspite
of lack of proper basic infrastructure, amenities such as raw material,
transport, power, water etc., Central and State Governments established
industries in and around the capital city in Telangana.
5. Scientific,
technical and other manpower required for these establishments were drawn from
other parts of the state and country, since qualified persons were not
available locally as there were no educational facilities worth the name in the
erstwhile Hyderabad state, barring Hyderabad and Warangal cities.
6. People
from Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions have invested their resources and
wealth in Telangana region and developed it and settled there. They have not taken out even a single pie
from Telangana region to their regions. The generation of employment
consequent to fresh investment has taken place only in Telangana region,
particularly, in and around Hyderabad.
7. Since
Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, people from all the regions in the
State were employed in the Government offices such as Secretariat,
Directorates, and Corporations etc. as qualified persons were not available locally.
8. It
was only in 1956; Hyderabad became the capital for the Telugu people on the
recommendation of First State Reorganization Commission, to avoid unnecessary expenditure
on infrastructure development. That is how for the first time Hyderabad has
become the capital for Telugu people and not for eight districts of Telangana
which were under Nizam
9. It
is to be noted that Hyderabad was the capital of the erstwhile Nizam’s kingdom
that included originally not only present Telangana region of A.P. but also
Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of A.P; besides several areas of
Karnataka and Maharashtra, and not the present so called Telangana region
alone.
10. Some
people are quoting Dr.Ambedkar saying that he favored smaller sates for
administrative convenience. He said this when the Transport and Communication
systems were not developed. The same
people never say that Dr.Ambedkar specifically recommended Hyderabad as a second
capital of India and Telangana should have its capital at Warangal.
Further, we wish to point out that
11. If
at all there is “sentiment”, it is because of the ignorance of the masses and
because the relevant facts and figures are not made known to them. So there is
an urgent need to make available the correct facts and figures to the masses
and enlighten them.
12.
Power-hungry and selfish politicians alone are
instigating people in the name of ‘sentiment’ for fragmentation of states and organizing
periodic hartals, rasta-rokos, bundhs, stone-pelting sprees etc., and the poor and gullible school and college
going as well as innocent people are carried away by them without any
understanding of the realities.
13. There
is another aspect of the matter. The Dalits and minorities have a unity all
over the country which the rest of the population doesn’t enjoy. So the Dalits
and minorities will have a greater say in a larger state. They are more
vulnerable in a smaller state.
14.
If ‘sentiment’, is accepted as criteria for
formation of new states, there shall be no end to it, and there is every danger
that the map of our country may resemble that of the pre – British period.
All of the above goes to show that one should put National interest
above party interest. For, short-term gains to serve the party interest
will put in danger the Country’s interest. It
is expected of a responsible party to realize this simple truth: lest the party
itself may face extinction.
15.
Even the BJP which uses such attractive phrases
as ‘India is shining’, Akhand Bharat do not really mean what they say. The
party leaders have no foresight to note that division of linguistic states
would only be an invitation to more and more problems such as water disputes,
border disputes, division of present districts, etc. and ‘say’ of the Dalits and
Tribals will decline.
16.
In
today’s culture, wealth covers up all sins, however scandalous and brings power.
That is why the top political leaders have institutionalized corruption on
mammoth scale. Politicians who shout
from rooftops about corruption have amassed wealth without any known
(official) sources of income.
17. ‘Sons
of the soil’ theory will ruin the unity of the Country and only anarchy will
rule. Had the authorities taken an uncompromising step at the initial stage on
the Siva Sena and such other parties or organizations the present state of
affairs would have not come up, and the country might not have faced problems
of this nature.
18. If
A.P.is divided, it will be more than two or three states. And it will not be
the end. It will be the beginning for more problems within A.P. itself. For
e.g. where do Nellore district be included which was never in Rayalaseema.
Likewise Badrachalam division in Khammam, Munagala taluk in Nalgonda etc. has
to be separated from them.
19.
If self-centered
and cruel minded politicians are allowed to have their say and dominate in
decision making matters of importance such as division of states based on
so-called ‘sentiment’, the sacrifices made by our patriotic people of bygone
days will go waste.
20.
Some theoreticians may argue that smaller states
could develop faster than bigger states. But it is not clear how this will
happen? They must note that it may
happen only where plenty of irrigation facilities and industrial and other
infrastructure developments are there and not in provinces where such things are
not available.
21. So
far as irrigation is concerned, before the formation of the state in 1956,
there were no projects except Nizamsagar in Telangana region. There were some
projects in the other two regions like Dhavaleswaram dam on Godavari, Prakasam
barrage on Krishna, KC canal from Tungabhadra, dam on Penna , Kanigiri
reservoir etc. only After the formation of the State, Nagarjunasagar,
Srisailam, Somasila. Sriramsagar, Lower Maneru projects have come up. Of these,
Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects have benefited both Telangana and Andhra
regions.
22. Somasila
benefited Nellore district for irrigation, besides supplying drinking water to
Tirupati and Chennai. Sriramsagar and Lower Maneru projects are exclusively for
the benefit of Telangana. It cannot be said that Telangana has been specially
deprived.
23. It
requires to be noticed that the Telangana started from a lower base. For ages,
it was under the Nizam’s rule, whereas the rest of Andhra Pradesh was under the
British rule, which was relatively more enlightened. There were greater
facilities for education under the British government and also there was lesser
social suppression of the weaker classes.
24. Inequalities
between regions because of historical and other reasons are inevitable and
cannot be wiped out in a day. What is to be seen is whether regional imbalances
are reducing over a period or not. Judged by this standard, Telangana region
has benefited more by its integration than the other two regions. If at all
injustice has been done, it is to the backward districts of Rayalaseema like
Anantapur.
25. If
separate Telangana should happen, there is the danger of a reversion to the
original state when the servant could not see the master in the eye or had to
carry his chappals. Such slavery was more wide spread in Telangana region than
in the rest of Andhra Pradesh at the time of the formation of the State
26. There
are multiple states among the Hindi speaking people. That cannot be a precedent
for dividing other linguistic states.
27. CPI
fought for Visalandhra state and also runs a paper in its name Visalandhra. But
the present leaders support division of the state shows how bankrupt they are
in their ideology. Why they have not taken up the cause for creation of
Gurkhaland? CPI talks about welfare of working class. In what way division of
AP is going to help the Tribals like Chensus, Koyas, especially primitive hill
tribes, etc.
Teaching community is responsible
for the indiscipline in the student community. Teachers getting salaries from
government should be treated on par with any other government employee. They
should not be given any extra privilege. They are not worth for their posts.
Teachers who are not sincere in discharge of their duties or not good in
teaching are encouraging indiscipline and anarchy in the country. They should
be shown their place.
Madam,
a. Now
we request you to think over what is the background of persons started the
movement for division of Andhra Pradesh.
b. As
long as Dr. Rajasekar Reddy was there,
no one in his Ministry talked about division of the State. Why only after
December 2009 they joined the race for separation? Can we rely on such
“time-servers”?
c. Is
it not necessary to take stern action on hooligans type of employees joined JAC
and selfish politicians responsible for creation of anarchy in the country?
d. Don’t
you see that each of the regional political parties is dominated by one single family?
Don’t you know the bosses of those political parties act like autocrats and
have no national interest except personal, and other members of those parties
who are around them behave like sycophants?
e. Don’t
you see regional political parties jeopardize the future of this country?
f. Is
it good for the national parties like Indian national congress behave like
another regional party?
g. Don’t
you agree Smt Indira Gandhi and Sri Rajiv Gandhi laid their lives to keep the
country united? Shall we allow their sacrifices go waste?
h. Is
it not necessary for a leader to see the consequences of his/her actions in the
larger interest of the society?
With regards,
Yours
sincerely,
J.V. Ramana
Reddy,
S
R Sankaran Grama Chaitanya Kendram,
Nellore
District, Andhra Pradesh – 52 4 406
Please don’t take hasty decision at the cost of national unity
* * * * *
3.
,
Smt. Sonia Gandhi,
Date: 12.12.2010
UPA Chair Person,
New Delhi
Madam,
As citizens of India we bring to
your notice the following facts for your consideration.
It is universally know that you
are not after power, since you have declined the highest powerful post of the
country. Also you have taken the rains of the party only after great persuasion
by the then party leaders. You are also responsible for making a person with impeccable
character as the prime minister.
But, you have to be vigilant
about the power-mongers and power-brokers, loitering in the corridors of power in
Delhi and Hyderabad, using your name for their personal gain and to arouse
irrational sentiments. Our sincere request to you is to check them first. By doing
so your party is not going to lose anything, on the other it will help to
restrain others from indulging such activities. That makes people around you to
behave themselves.
But what is worrying is the
impurity with which these hoodwinkers are parading about in the corridors of
power. For instance, the ones in Telangana have become adepts in dropping names
of this or that central leader to spread lies and rumors; blackmailing and
targeting businessmen and industrialists to part with huge donations for “the
cause of Telangana”, which money is partly ploughed back into organizing
periodic hartals, rasta-rokos, bundhs, stone-pelting sprees etc., and what is
sad is that the school and college going innocent children are being drawn into
this nasty political strategy to achieve their goal, mostly by foul means.
Such “time-servers” never
impressed a stateswoman like Mrs. Indira Gandhi who told such leaders at that
time firmly and clearly that “sentiments” have no place in running the affairs
of the country, and ephemeral considerations do not go to make state policy.
She was totally against the demand for Telangana, for, she saw in it a step
towards balkanization of India.
May we request you to go through the following points
considered before taking a final decision?
1. Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India in his wisdom agreed for
formation of linguistic states on the basis of language, other than Hindi
regions in the year 1956, for administrative convenience of people speaking the
same language, their cultural unity and for enriching the language of the
people.
2. In
the age of advanced science and technology and improved communication and
transportation, the size of a state is no impediment for its harmonious growth
and development.
3. Power-hungry
and selfish politicians alone are instigating people in the name of ‘sentiment’
for fragmentation of states and the poor and gullible people are carried away
by them without any understanding of the realities.
4. If
‘sentiment’, is accepted as criteria for formation of new states, there shall
be no end to it, and there is every danger that the map of our country may
resemble that of the pre – British period.
5. One
should keep in mind the larger interest of the Nation. If the authorities yield
to the pressure tactics of the disgruntled politicians to divide the present
Linguistic States one can’t see the present form of the Country and regional
demands like Dravidsthan, Kalisthan,etc.
will crop up.
6. “Sentiment” can be whipped up on any issue and
if it is considered ‘sacred’ and
hence to be honored in one region, the sentiments of other places also have to
be honored (For e.g. Gurkha land, Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, etc.); and it
becomes an unending affair permanent problem to the centre till every district
or still smaller area in the country is made separate state.
7. It
is to be noted that only microscopic minority of self-seeking individuals that
prop up and work havoc making use of innocent as well as unruly elements in the
society – holding the law abiding majority citizens to ransom.
8. If
self-centered and cruel minded politicians are allowed to have their say and dominate
in decision making matters of importance such as division of states based on
so-called ‘sentiment’, the sacrifices made by our patriotic people of bygone
days will go waste.
9. Nehru
family made great sacrifices for keeping the country united. People expect
those sacrifices should not go waste by doing things which will lead to
disintegration of the Country in the long run.
10. One
should put National interest above party interest. For, short-term gains to
serve the party interest will jeoparadise the Country’s interest. It is
expected of a responsible party to realize this simple truth: lest the party
itself may face extinction.
11. Even
the BJP which uses such attractive phrases as ‘India is shining’, Akhand Bharat
do not really mean what they say. The party leaders have no foresight to note
that formation of more and more linguistic states would only be an invitation
to more and more problems such as water disputes, border disputes etc. and
‘say’ of the Dalits will dwindle.
12. Likewise
those who clamor for smaller states with ulterior motives are doing so to grab
power and money at the expense of the people. Instead creating smaller states may be genuine if they serve the larger
interest of hill tribes and daily wage labour SCs.
13. In today’s culture, wealth covers up all
sins, however heinous and brings power. That is why the top political
leaders have institutionalised corruption on mammoth scale. Politicians who
shout from rooftops about corruption have amassed wealth without any known
(official) sources of income
14. Delegation
of powers and finances to the Panchayat Raj Institutions as envisaged by Rajiv
Gandhi who brought in amendments to the Constitution to empower these
institutions. This is the only answer to the regional imbalances.
15. In
today’s context when the discussion both in the press and Parliament is centered
round the scams, the one thing that remains noncontroversial is the personal
integrity and honesty of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Now is the
opportunity for the politicians to ask for themselves where they stand
vis-à-vis Dr. Manmohan Singh. It is for the politicians to aspire to be known
and remembered for what they do to the society, if they fail to do this, they
will be known for plundering the society.
16. Teaching
community in government institutions also should be treated on par with any
other government employee. They should not be given any extra privilege. These
people are responsible for the indiscipline in the student community. They are
not worth for their posts. Teachers who are not sincere in discharge of their
duties and not good in teaching are encouraging indiscipline and anarchy in the
country.
17. Instead
of division of existing states , please concentrate on population control,
getting back the black money deposited
in foreign banks, proper function of government educational
institutions(schools and colleges) and government hospitals especially PHCs,
improving work culture among government employees, indiscriminately allotting
lands(more than required) to companies in the name of development without
putting a condition not to transfer or sell to others, whether UGC, MCI ,NCTE etc, can be
reorganized.
Now look into the
issue Telangana of the state of Andhra Pradesh
18. The
word Telangana simply means a tract in India where people speak Telugu Language.
It does not mean the sub-region of A.P. called Telangana as is evident even
from the map in the book: “India- A History” by John Keay (page 280) published
by Harper Collins (copy enclosed).
19. It
is to be noted that Hyderabad was the capital of the erstwhile Nizam’s kingdom
that included originally not only present Telangana region of A.P. but also Rayalaseema
and coastal Andhra regions of A.P; besides several areas of Karnataka and
Maharashtra, and not the present Telangana region alone.
20. It
was only in 1956; Hyderabad became the capital for the Telugus on the
recommendation of First State Reorganization Commission, to avoid unnecessary
expenditure on infrastructure development. That is how for the first time
Hyderabad has become the capital for Telugu people and not for eight districts
of Telangana which were under Nizam. Since Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra
Pradesh, people from all the regions in the State were employed in the
Government offices such as Secretariat, Directorates, and Corporations etc.
21. Inspite
of lack of proper basic infrastructure, amenities such as raw material,
transport, power, water etc., Central and State Governments established
industries in and around the capital city.
22. Scientific,
technical and other manpower required for these establishments were drawn from
other parts of the state and country, since qualified persons were not
available locally as there were no educational facilities worth the name in the
erstwhile Hyderabad state, barring Hyderabad and Warangal cities.
23. After
the formation of State of Andhra Pradesh, there has been a faster growth in all
fields of development in Telangana region In fact the development in Telangana region
is far greater than the development in other regions of the state, also
when compared with other parts of the erstwhile Hyderabad state which were
merged with Maharashtra and Karnataka.
24. The
city of Hyderabad was only developed during Nizam period at the expense of
people of other regions including the Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra called
‘Sarkars’ and the Marathwada and Karnataka regions of his kingdom.
25. Faster
growth of Hyderabad has taken place only after formation of the linguistic
state of Andhra Pradesh. The City of Hyderabad has developed more as the
capital of AP than during the rule of seven generations of Nizams.
26. In
the liberation struggles against Nizam leading role was played by the people
from coastal districts of Guntur,
Krishna etc. along with people from Nalgonda,
Warangal etc. The feudal lords under Nizam thought after his rule they will
be in full control of the region and can become new Nizams of their respective
areas. Unfortunately for them it did not happen.
27. People
from Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions have invested their resources and
wealth in Telangana region and developed it and settled there. They have not taken out even a single pie
from Telangana region to their regions.
28. The
culture and the so-called self respect of the people of Telangana region have
not suffered in any way, as some selfish politicians are propagating. Instead, self-respect
of the exploited class of the region has enhanced now. Since the heads of the
villages of this region were ruthless feudals who had no human values and their
duty was only to suck-up to the Nizam and treat the working class as slaves.
29. Can
anybody say what self-respect and culture of so called Telangana region is
affected? The people of all religions are following their respective religious
cultures.
30. After
the formation of A.P. in 1956 the people who enjoyed absolute tyrannical power
over the working class in this region have now lost it. Since then the working
class who were under the clutches of Patels, Patwaries and so called Doras have
slowly started coming out of the shackles of these merciless exploiters. And
their conditions have started slowly improving and they have slowly getting
educated which was a dream for them earlier.
31. One
cannot deny Self respect of working class has improved in Telangana region only
after the formation of AP in 1956. Earlier these people were not supposed to
wear foot-ware in the presence of so called Doras, Patels, and Patwaris, and
also they were forced to run on barefoot in front of and on either side of
their carts drawn by horses. And also they were made habituated to
utter humiliating words like “Nee kalmoktha Dora” (I worship your feet), “nee
banchan Dora” (I am your slave), etc.
32. Bonded
labour which was prevalent in this region was abolished only in the integrated
State of A.P. All these developments have irked the earlier bosses and their
offsprings of the erstwhile Hyderabad province of A.P.
33. Some
irrational persons quote the formation of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
Uttarakhand to justify the demand for creation of new States from the existing Linguistic
States. They are only Hindi states which were not formed on language basis.
Also to some extent for the benefit of the hill Tribes. So far no linguistic state formed after 1956 is divided.
34. Some
theoreticians may argue that smaller states could develop faster than bigger
states. But it is not clear how this will happen? They must note that it may happen only where
plenty of irrigation facilities and industrial and other infrastructure
developments have already been there and not in provinces where such things
have not been achieved. To justify their argument they quote Haryana and Punjab
which are in Sind delta area. Also they were created on language basis.
35. Some
people are quoting Dr.Ambedkar saying that he favored smaller sates for
administrative convenience. He said this only when the Transport and
Communication systems were not developed. The same people never say that
Dr.Ambedkar specifically recommended Hyderabad as a second capital of India.
36. ‘Sons
of the soil’ theory will ruin the unity of the Country and only anarchy will
rule. Had the authorities taken an uncompromising step at the initial stage on
the Siva Sena and such other parties or organisations the present state of
affairs would have not come up, and the country might not have faced problems of
this nature.
37. In
this case, there is not even the excuse of backwardness. Actually, the shoe is
on the other foot. Telangana has
prospered a lot more than the other regions after the formation of the state of
Andhra Pradesh.
38. It
is interesting to observe that Telangana agitation is, basically, a fight
between the money bags and the ruling classes of the all the regions for
control over Hyderabad and surrounding areas. Without Hyderabad, nobody wants
any separation.
39. People
are advancing the plea that there is no “emotional” unity between the regions
even after sixty years of integration. As though there is unity between any two
regions, or between two villages or even within a village or a party or even a
family!
40. The funds
needed for infrastructure development of new states can be better used for the
completion of ongoing projects as well as other developmental activities.
41. Division
of the State, is going to split the tribal home lands of Koyas and Chenchus
leading to these tribes losing whatever little influence they now have, and
also they will be made to fight among themselves leaving their lives to the
mercy of exploiters.
42. Can
anybody say the division of the state is going to help the most neglected Primitive/Hill Tribes? Instead of division of state please think over for the
creation of new districts like Nallamala, Gondwana, Rampa, and Araku in A P for
the benefit or development of Hill Tribes who are the most backward and worst
sufferers in the hands of exploiters of the State.
43. It
is not the region from which the leader comes counts, but his commitment to do
justice to his post without any bias keeping the interest of entire people of
the area. Most part of the time in A P the CMs have come from Rayalaseema
region. Did it help develop Ananthapur district or for that matter Rayalaseema
region faster?
44. Majority
of the people of Andhra Pradesh in general and Telangana people in particular
are not in favor of any division of the State. They are more interested in
development of the state and betterment of the standard of life of the people of
regions of A.P. as is evident from the decline of votes and seats secured by
TRS since its formation in 2001.
45. The
dyeing issue of Telangana got aggravated by mishandling of the fast undertaken
by K.Chandrasekhar Rao, and the immature and indiscreet Statement made by the Union
Home Minister on 9th December 2009. It has given an impression that
the decision has been taken to divide the state of A.P. Since then people of
all parties started competing in the race for separate Telangana.
46. If Andhra
Pradesh is divided, it will be more than two or three states. And it will not
be the end of the matter. It will be the beginning for more problems within the
state. For example where do Nellore district be included because it was never
in Rayalaseema. Likewise Badrachalam division was not in Khammam district
etc.
47. If
the demand for separate Telangana is conceded then there will not be any end
for this kind of demands of regionalism in the Country. This will become a
precedent for other states divisive forces who are watching developments of A.P.
keenly to arouse irrational feelings to take up agitations which will finally
lead to destruction of property, ill-will and hatred between people living harmoniously
and peacefully.
48.
Everyone should see the writing on the wall:
carving out Telangana state would amount to extending an open invitation to
extremists and fundamentalists to setup a vast base for them, and if one were
to go by the reports extremists and fundamentalists have already infiltrated
into the Telangana movement which is slowly but surely showing signs of turning
violent.
49. Somebody
said that small minds and big empires go ill together. Small minds and even big
jobs go ill together. Telangana agitation is, to call a spade a spade, the
product of small minds. The quality of a small mind is to think narrowly in
terms of regional, communal, casteist terms.
50. Stern
action should be taken under section
153A of I. P C against those creating hatred or ill feelings among the
people living harmoniously.
Madam,
Every leader
must face up to a difficult choice. He can be led by the people or try to lead
them. Even in a democracy, the Govt. cannot succumb to every whim, fancy and
demand of the people. This is the position that Indira Gandhi
tried to state in her speech in the Lok Sabha on 21st December, 1972
on the Telangana issue.
a) She
said she stood firmly for an integrated State. She said “we should consider the feelings of people, but it would be very wrong
for the Government to be swept away by feelings.”
b) Indira
Gandhi mentioned in her above referred speech that there is rationality behind
the formation of every State and we should not “break the foundation of that
rationality in momentary passions.”
She also said that “separation is not the end of the problem.
It is the beginning of another big problem, not for other states, but also for
that area, that state itself.”
c) Indira
Gandhi sagaciously questioned “Where will this process end...Where does
anyone draw the line? Will each district want to be separate…Do you go back to
the old, very small, princely states; do you go back to that? You cannot just
say that because of backwardness, there should be division.”
We are writing this only in the
larger interests of the nation and the wellbeing of the people. We are against
the division of present existing linguistic states. Otherwise in the long run
this country will be divided into small parts like the pre-British period and
then chaos will be the rule of the day. Let us not allow this country to lose
its identity by yielding to the pressure tactics of blackmailers, and go waste
that freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Lajapathi Roy, Sardar
Patel, Tilak and others went through all the sufferings for over a hundred
years to win the freedom for our country?
By now everyone should see the
writing on the wall: carving out Telangana state would amount to extending an
open invitation to extremists and fundamentalists to setup a vast base for
themselves, and if one were to go by the reports extremists and fundamentalists
have already infiltrated into the Telangana movement which is slowly but surely
showing signs of turning violent.
All right-thinking people in
Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere should, therefore, resist this. Just because a
small but vocal minority shouts for smaller states like Telangana, Gurkhaland,
Vidharbha, etc., there is no reason to support such demands, ignoring the
long-term political and economic interests of the nation. They should be treated
with the contempt they deserve. Nor is there any case for constituting a second
States Reorganisation Commission.
We would like to remind you only
you can stop balkanization of this country by taking the difficult but
necessary and wise decision .in this regard!
Yours Sincerely,
J V Ramanareddy
Adarsha nagar
Hyderabad
Source : India-A History By John Keay
( Publisher : Harper Collins) Page: 280
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