TELANGANA IV: Shri Krishna committee a crude joke

"Committee pe Committee, Committee pe Committee pur Telangana nahin mila - Mila to sirf Committee."

Tweaking Sunny Deol's powerful performance in Damini, this is the feel Telanganites got today when center at last stopped playing hide-and-seek and released the Terms of Reference for the Sri Krishna committee which was formed to do 'wide-ranging consultations' in AP.

Yet an another committee has been formed which even for pretension has nothing in its agenda to suggest demerging Telangana from AP. The following are the ToR released by the center.

The Terms of Reference of the five member Shri Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee constituted on 3rd February, 2010 will be the following:-

(1) To examine the situation in the State of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate State of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh.

(2) To review the developments in the State since its formation and their impact on the progress and development of the different regions of the State.

(3) To examine the impact of the recent developments in the State on the different sections of the people such as women, children, students, minorities, other backward classes, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

(4) To identify the key issues that must be addressed while considering the matters mentioned in items (1), (2) and (3) above.

(5) To consult all sections of the people, especially the political parties, on the aforesaid matters and elicit their views; to seek from the political parties and other organisations a range of solutions that would resolve the present difficult situation and promote the welfare of all sections of the people; to identify the optimal solutions for this purpose; and to recommend a plan of action and a road map.

(6) To consult other organisations of civil society such as industry, trade, trade unions, farmers’ organisations, women’s organisations and students’ organisations on the aforesaid matters and elicit their views with specific reference to the all round development of the different regions of the State.

(7) To make any other suggestion or recommendation that the Committee may deem appropriate.

The Committee is requested to submit its report by December 31, 2010.

Why is that the ToR shied from mentioning anything about the various agreements/accords/supreme court verdicts/presidential orders/Government Orders which have been violated with utmost disdain by the Andhra rulers? Last time we counted, there are 14 accords that were made and dishonored. This is a crucial question because it is these actions that now undermine the sustenance of conditional merger of Telangana with Andhra state. And finally what is the guarantee that this committee's report too would not be thrown into the dustbin the way earlier committees' were? And did we not already hear the questions posed by united Andhra proponents about the mechanism under which this committee is formed?

The ToR instead goes at length to talk about how the students, minorities, SCs,STs, OBCs have been impacted by recent developments. How are these factors relevant to a statehood demand? Unless of course those in power are dreaming about throwing sops at these sections in Telangana as part of 'divide-and-rule' policy and dilute the Telangana movement? It is no secret it is these sections which lead this movement from front sidelining KCR & Co. This point in ToR directly buys into the theory of plutocrats that once Telangana forms, it would slip into hands of doras (feudal lords). It is highly ironical that these plutocrats from 2 castes who shared power within them for 5 decades preach others about social equality! Last time I saw, Karamchedu and Chunduru were in the same districts these plutocrats hail from! And for the uninitiated, google those 2 places to understand the tyrants behind the garb of United AP.

While discussing concerns/dependencies to safeguard interests of all regions in event of this demerger would have been apt, the committee's ToR deliberately sidestepped the history of Telangana struggle and restarts the debate as if this demand came overnight. Did we not hear Pranab Mukherjee (who BTW had his day in sun with his own T committee!) acknowledge a few weeks before that Telangana's is a 5 decade struggle? The ToR leaves Telangana statehood an open-ended question and instead talks about 'optimal solutions'! Clearly the Govt has now retracted from Dec 9 statement announcing the initiation of the Telangana creation process. Did the union govt of India indeed succumb to the power and pelf of plutocrats?

The plutocrats does not want to lose power in this vast state with this demerger. That is the leverage they are privileged with when they get to send 42 MPs to the center. How else would one build 3500 crore media empire overnight? The way they leveraged this unhindered political power to advance their personal fortunes in Infrastructure, Real state, Power, Media, Mining, Energy sectors put a popcorn to shame. So its natural Telangana politicians are caught in web of this money bags. After all, it is these plutocrats who sponsored their own elections the last time! The way KCR reacted today is too predictable. It looked like a deliberate attempt to weaken the TJAC.

So what next? After doing variety of programs non-violently to express their desire for Telangana, are the people still indefatigable to carry on, without the support of their 'leaders'? They ate and slept on roads, walked their way on knees, put up TG stickers on vehicles, did relay-fasting for 60 odd days, put up the longest human chain in india, organized the massive Vidyarthi Garjana, Vidyarthi Ranbheri, Vidyarthi Polikeka, held huge padayatras, boycotted exams and what not..The lessons of violent 1969 agitation are not lost and this time they by volition didn't hurt an Andhra soul. If there is someone they turned their ire upon, it is themselves. Around 200 suicides. And this is what they get! My belief in our democratic tradition is shaken. This catapult of the center is indeed hard to digest. Plutocrats won hands down, for now.