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Telengana sparks fresh debate on reorganization of Indian states

Telengana for long has been a battle ground- protests and struggle- a common phenomenon. Ever since its merger with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, people of Telengana had to face the direst of situations. They had to live at the mercy of the elite group of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Despite the fact that Hyderabad, being in Telengana contributed around 76% of its total revenue, Telengana was the least developed of all regions of Andhra Pradesh socially and economically, only one third of its income being spent for it. While Andhra Pradesh was bustling with educational facilities, job opportunities and the like, Telengana was shrinking its weight under the oppressive regime decorated by the influential people of Andhra Pradesh.

Their never ending struggle for a separate statehood finally bore fruit when the Congress Working Committee on 30th July 2013, unanimously passed a resolution, recommending the Central Government to create the 29th State of Independent India….TELENGANA. This was indeed a great boon for its people. The days following saw the people of Telengana, happy and satisfied as they got what they had longed for years. They never bothered about sharing Hyderabad (in Telengana) with Andhra Pradesh as the common Capital for the next 10 years. Thus their Culture and Tradition finally received recognition before the nation.

It is true that the success story of Telengana sparked similar protests for state reorganization in several parts of India- the demand for Gorkhaland in Northern West Bengal, Bodoland in Assam , Vidarbha in Eastern Maharashtra and so on, each group in favour of the protests, arguing that their protest was "OLDER AND STRONGER" than the Telengana issue. But let us think for a while. Is it possible to disintegrate India into 500 small provinces as against the hardship faced by Sardar Vallabhai Patel to integrate India? Dividing states for political interest will serve no good for the millions of local people. There in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati is all set to divide UP into 4 smaller states- What purpose is it going to serve? The best part here is that Mayawati's proposal has got near zero backing from local people.

Telengana does not provide any justification for the formation of similar states in other parts of the country essentially because Telengana issue was the most legitimate struggle of all times to come.

The formation of Telengana was not a "BIFURCATION" of Andhra Pradesh was a "DEMERGER" as Telengana already had its own existence prior to the decision of the States Reorganization Committee to unify it with Andhra Pradesh in 1956. It had the grass root support from its people and was not a political satire with ulterior motives.

It is high time that we should realize that all such protests need not have a legitimate cause in the true sense. Central Government should bring such protests under the direct supervision of the States Reorganization Committee which approves of such reorganization after looking at its real cause and the real beneficiaries. We should know that if a group of Nepalese immigrants inhabiting a particular region for generations are allowed a separate state, the Bangladeshi's in Assam will also go for the same and can ultimately degenerate India into nothing but ashes in the coming years. Hence there is nothing that other states can imitate from Telengana other than the fact the people should revolt against anything that is illegal and anything that has over the years suppressed them to the keel.

Telenganites realized that their unification with Andhra Pradesh was a futile experiment and that the formation of a separate state was the best solution.

- Gopika Jayan