SKC’s mentions the following 2 as the best out the 6 options it considered: The remaining 4 options are examined but are seen unviable. So they don't merit a discussion at this stage.
SKC’s best option:
1) Creating a constitutional/statutory regional council for Telangana with and also an apex committee that would coordinate between the council and the AP state government as and when required.
This is mentioned as option VI - Keeping the State united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region – creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council
SKC’s second best option:
2) Demerger with Telangana as a state with Hyderabad as capital.
This is mentioned as option V - Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital
The report came out as expected reserving its strongest recommendation for setting up the regional authority for Telangana. I blogged about this option earlier and predicted why the SKC would prefer this over the demerger. While this line of thinking is understandable, what is perplexing is the lousy way SKC put the idea across.
Why SKC’s best option (Option VI) in present form is bound to fail:
The report itself states “Earlier, a Regional Committee of the Legislature had been constituted by a Presidential Order under Article 371 through the Seventh Amendment in 1958. However, after the introduction of Six Point Formula, the Regional Committee was done away with by the Thirty Second Amendment in 1974. It has already been discussed in the Report (Chapter 1) that the Regional Committee did not fulfil the role envisioned for a statutory Regional Council under the Gentleman‟s Agreement, 1956“. So it was all the most imperative that the SKC bolster this option and make a strong pitch for it for this option to have any chance.
There are 2 questions the SKC should have pondered over and put in more work.
1) If the committee did not fulfill its role earlier, how would it do now? How would Telanganites buy a failed experiment again?
2) Why would the Andhra people now accept the separate committee that they got removed earlier?
The 1st question would bring an answer that this time the regional committee should be different and powerful with legislative powers if indeed it needs to considered seriously. But no, the SKC just mentions this could at best be a legislative consultative mechanism that submits its annual report to Andhra Pradesh assembly! And guess what it does not even cover HMDA. And reason? SKC lamely says “However, the area under HMDA will not be a part of the development sub-plan since there is a separate authority for this purpose headed by the Chief Minister.” Why could not the SKC think about a comprehensive solution for all Telangana regions? They did not even try. And this is when they themselves say “As it will possibly be the first case of an empowered Regional Council outside of the Sixth Schedule Areas, every care should be taken to ensure that the proposed Regional Council is fully empowered in real terms. This will be critical both for making the model acceptable across the board and for winning the confidence of the people.”
Regarding the 2nd question, the SKC mentions nothing that made them think Andhras will be happy with Telangana having its own regional council. They just assumed they will support. Same assumption went wrong in the past and it will wrong again. It is a matter of time before there is a ‘telugu atmagaurava udhyamam’ that demands parity across the telugu state and we would be back at square one.
With these flaws, option VI indeed has no chance to make people think and discuss. That would leave only the ‘second best option’ as the best for not just Telangana, but even Andhrites!
