DRAVIDA PERAVAI WELCOMES THE BIRTH OF TELENGANA STATE

Nandhi Speaks: ON  TELENGANA

Tell me the roots of Telengana movement?

In present day Aurangabad there existed a Yadhava kingdom of Devagiri at the closing times of 13th century. Allaudin Khilji’s General Malick Kafoor launched his war of plunder and looted gold laden horses. The famous Kohinoor diamond fell into his hands. His invasion invited many more invasions. Invader after invader left their imprint and administered shock therapy on the minds of Telengana people. Muhammad bin Tuglak set up his capital there which could be said as foundation stone for Telengana. Though he retreated “a new culture with synthesis of Urdu and Telugu” evolved there.

Actor Kamalhasan spoke Telengana Telugu- Andhra Telugu and Rayalasemma Telugu in one Telugu film. Nizam ruled Telengana Telugu will be mixture of Telugu and Urdu. The British ruled Andhra used Sanskritized Telugu. In Warangal villages for frog they used a word mandooga which in classical Tamil poetry was mandoogam denoting frog. They called dog as kooka and in classical Tamil it was kukkal. The military intervention during the times of Sardar Patel ended Nizam rule and for 7 centuries Telengana which remained backward and built a culture of its own reached the cross roads. Later within a decade parts of Telengana were merged into Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. These historical accidents like Yadhava rule plundered by Malick Kaffor and truncated Telengana plundered by Andhra Pradesh had lead to present state where Union Ministers, Members of Parliament and Members of Legislature have to resign and show their solidarity with the people demanding separate Telengana State.

Water-Sharing, Power Sharing and Economic prosperity seems to be ticklish issues that has to be handled with care, what do you opine?

Godavari passes through Telengana but most of the farmer’s suicide had occurred in this region. In the Andhra-Telengana border Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar irrigation projects exist but most of the water and power went to Andhra. Under Bachawat award on Krishna waters, Andhra Pradesh got 811 TMC out of which Telengana’s share was just 100 TMC. Telengana has catchment area of 69 percent and cultivable area in Krishna river basin 71 percent and geographical area plus population is around 42 percent. The proportional sharing of river water was absent that led to current demand for separate state. In Godavari 70 percent of catchment area belongs to Telengana but it was getting only 20 percent share in Godavari waters that AP got.

Leaders climbed the ladder of power but Telengana’s woes remained without redressed. Do you think similar appeasement of agitating leaders will work this time?

To appease people of Telengana, Indian National Congress even gave Prime Minister ship to P.V.Narasimha Rao of Telengana region. M.Channa Reddy, T.Vengala Rao and T.Anjiah were made Chief Minister of AP and even Union Ministers. P.Sivshankar was made Union Minister and later Governor. Currently S.Jaipal Reddy is in Union cabinet. Once even a Deputy Prime Minister K.V.Ranga Reddy was from Telengana. These political offices to leaders temporarily halted the march towards separate state but movement did not die. No to movement had reached a stage where people’s aspirations have to be fulfilled.

Trace the stages of Telengana struggle from pre-colonial times?

The ancestors of Nizam were Vice-roys of Moghul Emperors. After Mughal Empire disintegrated Hyderabad became independent princely state. The action of Sardar Patel brought an end to the Nizam’s rule and Hyderabad was integrated into Indian Union in 1948. After Potti Sriramulu fasted to death in 1952 demanding State for Telugus on linguistic basis, out of Madras Presidency State of Andhra Pradesh was bi-furcated. The first State Re-organization Commission recommended that “we have come to the conclusion it will be in the interests of Andhra as well as Telengana to constitute a separate state, which may be known as State of Hyderabad.” In 1956 States Re-organization Act was passed. Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh were merged to form single state. After merger there was a gentlemen’s agreement in 1956 that Telengana would not be discriminated.

In 1969 Telengana movement reared its head again. M.Chenna Reddy, key figure of the Telengana Praja Samiti was induced to join Congress and made Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh to take the wind out of sails of the movement. It should be written with great sadness that 350 students were killed in police firing.

In 1978 was in Warangal operating a granite quarry in Lingawarigudam village of Wardhannapet Taluk for my concern Seven Seas Enterprises. I was threatened it is a naxal infected area, but when I shared my food and ate their food and showed equality inculcated in me by Periyar EVR, no naxalite misbehaved with me. They were only against rich land lords who oppressed them for centuries. Nizams who ruled Telengana under their military-feudal system were concerned only with revenue hence landlords were to plunder the poor and pay the Nizam. Caste system at its worst existed there. The washer-men or women had to every day collect cloths from the landlord’s house wash it in the river close to Nandanam, iron it and return to the landlord by evening. No pay for their service. At year end some bags of corn or chilies would be given. Pitying their plight I used to secretly pay them in cash without the land lords knowledge, because I was their tenant. Slavery or bonded labourship it can’t be distinguished in seventies. It is the pent up anger and lack of education of these poorest that triggered a movement to spear head separate state.

Again in 2001 resigning from Telugu Desam party K.Chandrasekar Rao formed the Telengana Rastra Samithi to spear head the demand for separate state. In 2006 he went on a fast to expose the betrayal of the Congress, and in 2011 all legislators and members of parliament from Telengana region have tendered their resignations because after promising in the floor of Loksabha again Congress wanted to enact betrayal with Manmohan Singh’s blessings.

Dravida Peravai expresses solidarity with the people of Telengana and wishes the emergence of new state of Telengana will render them economic justice denied for so many years, and if Mr.Kesava Rao’s television speech where he said more than 600 students sacrificed their lives sent me shock waves within my mind, I do hope all martyrs for the cause of Telengana and their families will be suitably rewarded with victory of their dreams.

N.Nandhivarman

General Secretary Dravida Peravai

5.07.2011