VISIONARIES AND DIVISIONARIES The apathy shown by the Impatient Nonchalant Congress (INC) in its continuous incarnation as Congress (I) or the major coalition partner of the ruling UPA, in dealing with the angst of 50 million Andhra people, against the division of the state is a matchless exercise in brushing aside the pollsters in an election year. As a ruling party whose decision tilted the process inexorably towards the division, while it made the Telanganites happy, before pushing a Table Note at the Cabinet meet, in all their wisdom, it still remained a responsibility on the Congress party to address the concerns of the people of Rayala seema and Andhra regions. The party leaders preferred to sit pretty at the national capital, rather moving in the state and lending an ear to the grievances of people. Thereby they tried nothing to create a consensus, or initiated any Confidence Building Measures, among the agitated community spread across thirteen districts of Andhra Pradesh, and their entire motive became naked as if they instead of pressing in some consultative machinery, rather prefer to shove down the decision down the throat of fifty million people, who would return twenty five Members to the Parliament ( still a larger number even after division is effective). The policy of remaining in ivory towers of the national capital, and turning a deaf ear to the 65 days of total strike in Andhra Pradesh, and ramming in as a Table Note the Telangana issue, have severely crippled the task handling reputation of the party, and openly shown it as partisan. People need to get assuaged in these times of crises, where the political class are resorting to endless blame games. Congress instead of routing the bill drafting job through the Ministry of Law, appointing a Group of Ministers to come out with a draft is again high handed, since once the ministers from AP resign, the GoM may not have any members representing the Andhra Pradesh region, especially sulking against the treatment meted out by the Grand Old Party, to its trusted bastion in South India, i..e Andhra Pradesh. Though technically still the T note has long way to travel, having resorted to solve the issue, the Congress has not taken any steps to address the feelings of the people of Rayala Seema and Andhra in the two months period. The Antony Committee remained confined to Delhi and this defies one’s wisdom how they would be able to get a grasp of the situation sitting in such distance? . This will not only prove costly to these national and regional parties singing the tune of division, and trying to conclude within six months i..e before the election profess is set in motion, and this tight schedule leaves these parties with no elbow space to create the much needed consensus, and as a result their performance may as well bite the dust, this round, for in the entire process, their attitude and actions are against the wishes and interests of the people of the region. Dispelling the misgivings, and formation of some civic committees in Rayala Seema and Andhra to make suggestions to the process initiators would have a been a better idea on part of the ruling party. As they have not done this, much before, or during the 60 day period after the CWC resolution, the people of Rayala Seema and Andhra regions, rightly feel that the decision is going to harm them grievously, and therefore for the first time after the infamous Emergency period (where the entire nation voted one way and the people of AP voted differently for the congress, ) the groundswell of anger against the perpetuators is real and palpable around the nook and corner of the region. If the political parties miss out to read the same, and thrive on false confidence of some how weathering the storm, this time, since the commoners are rattled by the twenty four by seven bombardment of print and electronic media, and rude mouthed politicos, the wounds are deeper and would be suppurating for long. For the people who have voted to her party, at least Madam G had some soft corner, and endeavored to keep the state as one piece, alas those days have gone, and in the present days of coalition pragmatism, the GOP knows pretty well there are no permanent enemies are allies in politics, and since politics makes strange bed fellows, for this time the GOP has decided to climb down the bed from the T side come what may. The neo rich class on Telangana side of the state are fighting it out for respective political dividends, and only laced their ambition with some regional flavors, for the mistakes and overzealous deeds of political class over the decades, of which the present generation are totally unfamiliar, the division seems more less a ‘horns locked’ situation. As the ruling party the GOP of India has much to blame itself, for not addressing the contentions issue long before, so that the feeling of loss would have been containable and manageable. Lack of decentralization in development that took place since decades, an all encompassing camaraderie towards Hyderabad and a feeling of pride as Hyderabad as their capital city, now all this the GOP and the regional players are trying to wrench out from the body politic of AP in a poll-eve year, with their sights firmly locked on the electoral prospects. The GOP and Govt. of India should do well to remember that in previous instances no where such a division was shoved down the throats of the people, and by opting out for a solution that more than half of the population of the state resent, and are fighting it out in the open, reflects very badly on the managerial acumen of the ruling party, which should be a cardinal quality in any modern nation. Rank mishandling of the situation seems only the area of competition and in this all players whether regional or national are performing non–pareil. Assorted states of non-influential existence with a score of MPs, who can always be brushed aside, by an authoritative Centre seems to be the overseas dictation to which the GOP, and other national parties of different hues are playing out. Bye Bye Nehru and Sardar Patel, Give way to visionaries and divisionaries, for every political party, Congress, BJP, BSP and a dime a dozen, every one have got a rose to place at the altar of federalism, bidding adieu to the Idea of India, with strong states and a strong centre. What is happening now in Andhra Pradesh is only a reinforcement of attack on federalism, by those who believe paradoxically in the principle of more states more federalism, what they conveniently forget to mention is that only strong links make a strong chain and not the weak links. Will the weaklings of the day cowing down before dominant globalization stand up and take the punishment. People are ready to proclaim the gospel of stern commandments. Amen. - Rama Teertha
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:31:37 +0000
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