Enemy No 1 to Telangana

It is KCR. I know it sounds like a fancy guess. But I am afraid that is the truth, inconvenient to supporters of a separate Telangana state. Let me tell you how.

KCR stays relevant only as long as the movement for a separate Telangana state continues. It is from this relevance that he derives his clout and his money. Once Telangana state becomes a reality, KCR would lose his relevance and would become just one among many politicians. The chances of his becoming the chief minister of the new state are very few. A separate Telangana state is, in reality, against the interests of KCR and his family. It is the demand for a separate state that is good for him and his family. And he will do everything to keep this demand simmering as long as possible.

Carving out a separate state is not as simple as KCR makes it sound. In the recent past, three new states were carved out of larger states. All three of them were formed only after respective state assemblies gave their consent. Though the consent of the state assembly is not mandated by the constitution of India, it is a tradition which union government would normally not break away from. The state of AP was formed by merging the erstwhile Andhra and Hyderabad states only with the approval of both the state assemblies. The region of Andhra sends more legislators to the assembly of AP than the region of Telangana. The assembly of AP can give its consent for a separate state only if more than half of the legislators vote for it. It means at least some (28 to be precise) legislators from Andhra region should vote for a separate Telangana state, assuming all legislators from Telangana region vote for it. So the leaders demanding a separate Telangana state should ideally have convinced the people of Andhra region about the need for a separate Telangana state. They should also have tried to make the separation a win-win situation for both the regions. But KCR and his associates are doing the exact opposite of this. Instead of convincing the people of Andhra region, they have antagonized them by spreading hatred against them through their speeches. They have also made it a win-lose situation for the people of Andhra region by being adamant on making the city of Hyderabad an exclusive part of Telangana state. People of Andhra see Hyderabad as their own city and don't want to lose it to a new state. It is KCR and his associates who have, deliberately I guess, made this a deadlock situation. There is only one solution to deadlock situations in politics, that is delay. And delay is what we are seeing in this matter. As I told you, delay works best for KCR.

There is another possibility of the union government carving out a separate state without seeking the consent of the state assembly. This is what KCR and his associates are publicly demanding. Imagine why any party leading the union government would do this, be it Congress or the BJP. Whatever electoral gains that party makes in Telangana region will be more than offset by the losses it makes in Andhra region. Both Congress and the BJP would not risk it. Instead they would wait for things to cool down. That is why governments form commissions to look into such matters. Any solution to the Telangana deadlock will be possible only when it ceases to be an emotionally charged issue. Of course, KCR and his associates will do everything to keep the emotions of innocent people flared up.