Eminent citizens of Hyderabad advised the UPA government against the proposed ‘Delhi’ model common capital for the state, pointing out that it will be unjustified given the differences between the Hyderabad city of yore and the present Hyderabad under the governance of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
In a representation signed by some 20 eminent personalities including politicians, educationists, doctors and learned people, submitted to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and also forwarded to AK Antony Committee for consideration, speaks about the uncertainty prevailing in the state and how it is being exploited for political reasons.
The memorandum says that following the unrest in Seemandhra region Antony Committee was constituted and ‘Delhi Model’ was being considered for Hyderabad as common capital.
The growth of Hyderabad from 172 sqkm city to the present day 6,852 sq km metro city due to the annexation of 849 Telangana villages from the neighbouring Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda and Rangareddy districts, was purely a politically motivated one.
It said that the expansion of Hyderabad, which was unnatural, as it was bombarded with population growth exponentially in just seven years, had disrupted livelihood and local markets. It had impacted farming, weaving, animal husbandry etc. It further said that for Muslims in Hyderabad and Telangana, implementing the Delhi Model will be a double blow. The brief existence of Hyderabad state between 1948 and 1956 had given an opportunity to reconcile to the erosion of its privileged minority status. The formation of Andhra Pradesh resulted in wilful neglect, disempowerment and marginalisation of Muslim community, the memorandum said.
The representation had further differentiated between a capital city and a city, stating that former will only consists of physical area, where the offices and meeting places of government are located. Therefore, any decision on the future of Hyderabad must consider the fact that it is city and also a capital. Any decision on adopting a model of governance for Hyderabad as a common capital must note that the common capital region for Telangana must be restricted to the area that physically encompasses the officers and meeting places of both the governments.
In another representation submitted to Sonia Gandhi, representatives of doctors, academicians and social activists along with freedom fighters and elected representatives had appealed the Central government that ‘irrespective of the terminology that will be used by officials, the common/temporary capital area/region should be restricted to where the state government offices are located.
While appealing for a peaceful demerger process, they said that raising the issue of safety and protection of Seemandhra residents in Hyderabad city is not only an insult to the ganga-jamni tehzeeb and the composite culture of Telangana, but also a demonstration of their insularity and unwillingness to integrate into the very fabric of Hyderabad city, which indeed is one of the main reasons for the absence of any emotional or cultural integration of the two regions over the past six decades.
They further said that Telangana state is a reality and any attempt to stop the democratic process is not in the interest of the Seemandhra people or of the nation. The leadership and people of Seemandhra need to accept this historical fact and reconcile themselves to the reality. They also urged the people of the Andhra region and their leaders to work within the constitutional framework.
The signatories to the two representations included former MP Syed Azeez Pasha, Chukka Ramaiah (Educationist), B Narasing Rao (freedom fighter), Dr A Gopal Kishan (Telangana Coordination Committee convenor) Zaheeruddin Ali Khan (managing editor of Siasat) and Dr A Suneehta (Anveshi Research Centre for Women’s Studies).
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