All of us still remember the acid attacks on innocent young women in this state by spurned lovers and the kind of condemnation they attracted from all sections of the society. The ongoing Samaikyandhra agitation, to me, is no different.
Here is a case of people of Telangana who have been lamenting for years that they cannot place their lives and future in the hands of leaders from Andhra. Their prayers have finally been answered on July 30 with the announcement by the Congress leadership and the UPA that a separate Telangana State would be formed. But leaders from Andhra wouldn’t let people of Telangana cherish this feeling of their long-felt dream coming true.
Akin to acid attacks by jilted lovers, they continue to chant the slogan that all Telugus should live together and by whichever name they propagate this failed love affair - “equal justice” of YSRCP or “Atma Gouvara Yatra” of TDP - their underlying intention is unmistakable: scuttle the Telangana state formation, just as a spurned lover throws acid from jealousy that a girl unwilling to live with him should not enjoy the rest of her life with anyone else.
The players in this wretched game, unfortunately causing a deep but unwanted divide among ordinary people, belong to all political hues. Having played a double-game all these years, they have shown their colours when it came to the crunch, whether it is Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu or YS Vijaya Lakshmi and Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSRCP. This, despite the fact that much water has flown down the bridge after the first announcement on December 9, 2009, and all major parties in the State have placed their respective views at various fora, none opposing division. The flip-flop began once the judgment was delivered.
Kiran Reddy belongs to my party but I have no hesitation in saying that he is the prime-mover behind the agitation in Seemandhra. From his early days as CM when he told us “he is very much a Hyderabadi and I have played cricket in the bylanes of this very city,” he moved on to being ruthless in trampling upon agitations that took place in Telangana. By now, my leadership has fully understood who is writing the screen-play and directing the events currently unfolding in the State and I am sure it is only a matter of time before this game ends.
The TDP is no different. On the one hand, Naidu says his party is not going to withdraw the letter it gave in favour of Telangana State but at the same time, encourages his party MPs to resort to all sorts of gimmicks in Parliament and outside. It is rather sad that even the BJP proved to be no different. Having accused Telangana MPs of stalling the House when they raised protests in the past, the same party is now backing MPs from Andhra to obstruct business. And, what was the grave mistake the Congress or its president Sonia Gandhi committed? Is it keeping the word the party gave to the people, and that too, after obtaining the consent of all the stakeholders?
I have an appeal to the people of Andhra. It is time they see the truth. It is time they realize the double-game being played by their leaders and not trust the non-existent concerns being raised by them. It is time they understand that the ongoing agitation is being promoted by leaders only to protect their huge vested interests in Hyderabad. And, it is time they focus on the huge scope for growth in Andhra after division of State and force their leaders to look at the future. Just as Telugus who remained in Chennai or other parts of Tamil Nadu have been safe and continue to prosper even after the separation of Andhra from the Composite Madras State, there is absolutely no cause for concern for an ordinary person from Andhra or Rayalaseema living anywhere in Telangana including Hyderabad.
(The writer is an MP representing Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency)