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Preface Chapter 1: My Telugu Roots Chapter 17: Jai Telangana − Chenna Reddy versus Indira Gandhi Chapter 19: Telangana State Demand Built on a Platform of Lies Bibliography
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Posts Tagged 'rayalaseema'
Kurnool Visalandhra Mahasabha
Visalandhra Mahasabha is conducting a media exhibition and workshop in Kurnool this Sunday, October the 7th, 2012. The format will be similar to the past events that our organization has conducted in Delhi, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Tirupati.
The event will be held in T.G.V. Kalakshetram in Kurnool. The exhibition is going to be inaugurated by Minister Sri T.G. Venkatesh. Prominent personalities from Kurnool Sri B. V. Reddy, Sri G. Pullaiah, Sri K.C. Kalkura, Dr. K. Madhaiah will speak at the event.
Visalandhra Mahasabha members C. Anjaneya Reddy, Parakala Prabhakar, Challagulla Narasimha Rao, Kumar Chowdhary Yadav, Chegondi Ramajogaiah, Padiri Raviteja, Sunkara Venkateswar Rao, Laxman Reddy and several others will also present their views.
It is very important that we continue to voice our views on integration. The just finished Telangana march and separatists efforts in Delhi are an indication that the fight is far from over.
Drive to Kurnool from Hyderabad is less than 3 hours and the road is excellent. I urge you all to participate in the event and make it a big success.
Nalamotu Chakravarthy
Tags: Andhra, kurnool, rayalaseema, t.g. venkatesh, Telangana, visalandhra
School Bandh – What Can Parents Do?
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
On Monday September 19th afternoon, I got an SMS from my kid's school that they are closing on Tuesday in light of the bandh. I was a little troubled with the SMS and I called up the school and spoke with the head teacher to understand how the decision to shut the school down was arrived at. The teacher said it was a management decision and she had no role in it. I urged her to have a makeup day for the school. She said they were going to do that anyway.
Tuesday evening I got another SMS saying that the school is closed for the rest of the week. This SMS worried me and I wanted to get to the bottom of the issue. My concern was about Glendale management taking such an important decision as shutting down the school for a week without consulting the parents. So, I decided to meet the head mistress.
I went to the school with another parent who is a good friend of ours. We requested the head mistress to help us understand how the decision to close the school down for a week was arrived at. Here are the reasons she gave-
Originally the management planned to keep the school open throughout the week. However, on Monday the 19th, separatist hooligans descended on a nearby Kendriya Vidyalay and asked the principal to close the school. When he refused, they physically assaulted him. Later in the day, Chirec school bus was stopped by separatists. It was stranded for sometime after which it was let go. On top of this, schools have been getting more phone calls than usual from separatist outfits urging them to close the school.
Taking all these factors into consideration, managements of different schools in the neighbourhood consulted each other and decided to close the schools down en-masse for at least a week.
I wished the schools showed a bit more courage, but their plight is understandable. The risk of their buses and their staff becoming targets of separatist attacks is their biggest concern.
My main complaint with the school management was that they haven't consulted the parents when they took as serious a decision as closing the school down for a week. The head mistress argued that they didn't have time to take parents into confidence as it was an emergency decision. I urged her to consider having a parents meeting at least now so that we can brainstorm together as a team about how to handle any future bandh calls. The head mistress agreed to a parents meeting and I am hoping it will happen soon.
Now to the question of what can parents do in this situation?
First and foremost, we as parents need to come to a realization that police forces are rarely effective when it comes to people's movements. With thousands of schools and lakhs of children, there just isn't enough police force to protect all. This problem is universal and applies to more developed societies too. Take for example, 1992 riots in Los Angeles, or last year's riots in France, or this year's riots in UK.
Here is my view on how this problem should be tackled:
Clearly school buses are an easy target for separatists. On the days when a bandh call is given, instead of sending kids in the school bus, parents should drop off their kids at school.
Parent groups should identify children that do not have conveyance and have them carpool with families that live close by.
Lastly and most importantly, parents should volunteer to defend the school staff and children on bandh days. It is not needed for all the parents to be at the school. A small group of 20-30 volunteers is all it takes. This, in my view, is the best way of stopping the separatists from forcibly closing down our kids' schools.
If you are a parent and your child's school has been closed down, please consider meeting the school management. Urge them to make parents part of the decision making process. Mobilize other parents to the best of your ability and brainstorm ways in which you can ensure that the schools stay open. Our children have lost too many school days this year. Parents need to take a more active part in ensuring that schools run smoothly. This responsibility cannot be outsourced to the government. After all, this is about your child's future.
Save Andhra Pradesh!
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Tags: Andhra, bandh, chakravarthy, rayalaseema, schools, Telangana
Here is an excellent and hard-hitting piece in Outlook written by Ajai Sahni, who attended our workshop in Delhi. Mr. Sahni is the Executive Director at the organization run by K.P.S Gill. Mr. Gill is following through on the firm stance he took during the media workshop. Visalandhra Mahasabha is gateful to him for the patriotic position he has taken on this difficult national issue.
The situation in Andhra Pradesh, with particular regard to the Telangana region, exemplifies the political myopia, folly, and sheer mischief that have undermined counter-insurgency gains in many theatres across India
Political myopia, folly, and sheer mischief have undermined counter-insurgency gains in many theatres across India, making a mockery of the tremendous sacrifices Security Forces (SFs) must accept to secure even limited successes. Unfortunately, there is no indication that the political leadership in this country has learned anything from the past, or that its wilful blindness and disruptive opportunism are yielding to any greater sagacity or concern for the national interest.
The situation in Andhra Pradesh, with particular regard to the Telangana region, is an immediate case in point. Over the past years, the Andhra Pradesh Police has struggled against great odds, and at great cost in blood, to bring a rampaging Maoist movement under control.
The Telangana region has always been at the heart of the Maoist insurrection, but by 2005, each one of Andhra Pradesh's 23 Districts was in the Maoist-affected category. The situation had been substantially worsened by the ill-advised deal between the Congress Party and the Maoists in the run-up to the 2004 elections, and the 'ceasefire' that the new Congress regime unilaterally announced in one of its first moves after its electoral victory. Despite significant and further Maoist consolidation, however, the Andhra Pradesh Police were able to fight back after the breakdown of the so-called 'peace process' in early 2005, and by 2007, almost the entire State had been cleared of the Maoist menace.
Fatalities in Maoist related violence provide an index of the astonishing turnaround that was achieved in this short while. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, in 2005, there were 320 Maoist related fatalities (132 civilians, 21 SF personnel, 167 Maoists); 2010 saw just 33 such fatalities (17 civilians, 16 Maoists). To date, there have been just 4 fatalities in 2011 (2 civilians and 2 Maoists). There have been no SF fatalities since 2009.
SF Personnel
*Data till July 10, 2011
The Maoists made a concerted attempt to regroup in the Nalamalla Forest area in Central Andhra, and in the Telangana region, in 2010, but their attempts were quickly neutralised with the arrest or killing of their leadership cadres, forcing them out of the State once again.
A residual problem of sporadic violence, essentially by armed groups located across the border, principally in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, persists in eight border Districts of Andhra Pradesh. However, even this has been substantially handled with effective coordination with SFs in these States, and in Joint Operations. Today, the Maoist operational capabilities in Andhra are minimal.
The Maoists have also been increasingly aware that the improving social and economic profile of populations in the region no longer lends itself to their patterns of mobilisation and recruitment. The socio-economic transformation of the Telangana region has been elaborately documented by the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee, which has debunked the entire 'separatist' argument on grounds of economic neglect and backwardness. It is not the intention, here, to review the Srikrishna Report. However, the extensive indices of human and economic development compiled, demonstrate the most dramatic improvements in the Telangana region, and force the Committee to the conclusion that, "In recent years… the shares of Telangana for many common development parameters are in league with the share of population / area, often being higher… Additionally, the rate of growth of most of the parameters of development has shown robust growth in Telangana… Thus, on the whole, it would appear that the deprived region is Rayalaseema not Telangana."
The Srikrishna Report has, of course, been accused of bias and political prejudice by the votaries of a separate Telangana, which is why the Maoist perspective becomes the more significant. Indeed, in their Social Investigation of North Telangana: Case Study of Warangal, probably drafted towards the end of 2001 or early 2002, the Maoists concede that a wide range of social, political and economic transformations in the region have made recruitment difficult, and popular cooperation with the Police far more frequent, undermining the very possibility of effective Maoist mobilization. The tone of much of this document verges on the comical, as there is constant lamentation over precisely these improvements, and the impact they have had on the 'revolutionary potential' in what was, for decades, the Maoist heartland. A few samples are instructive:
Now the governments are starting "Akshara deepika", Malli badiki", "Chaduvula panduga" (education programmes), education for child labourers, thievish audio visual educations, bridge schools to educate the peasantry and make them buy their goods. It is only to transform the people as "market being". Earlier, farmers never had anything to eat when they go to the market. They used to go without even brushing their teeth. Now they go to the hotels. They also have to watch the imperialist's TV. So they have to go by bus…
Telephones are also brought along with this. The middle class is opposing the blasting of the (telephone) exchanges. The increased communication network facilitated the enemy to receive our information soon…
The roads in remote rural areas of the district have become tar roads… There is almost no village without RTC buses in the summer season… Two wheelers have become a common feature in majority of the villages in the district ranging from scooter to spider, Hero Honda, Bajaj, Chetak, Kavasaki… In addition to these each mandal (administrative block) has at least 40 tractors, each village has 4 to 5 jeeps. Six seater autos, Matadors and Tata Sumos are in big number… Now if a squad member goes to the village for food and it is exposed, the police from the nearby station can encircle us within one hour. We are unable to identify who leaked the information. Information can also be sent through phones…
Twenty years back, apart from the district collectorate in Warangal district there were two RDO (Rural Development Officer) offices in Mulugu and Mehaboobabad… Now there are revenue offices to each mandal and agriculture and education departments, now the Janagama, Narsampeta and Warangal Revenue Divisions are established. There are 6 RDO offices in the district. Administration is decentralised and bureaucrats (employed section) and administrative departments (political and ruling class) have developed in a big way…
The women are gaining political consciousness by knowing the bourgeois political society mainly through the TV. Because of the schools, participating in development activities taken up by the various organisations, they are increasingly coming out of the houses. Number of girl students is increased. The number of those who go around the offices also increased to 5 or 10 in each village…
The impact of cricketisation and gutka (a mild stimulant containing areca nut and tobacco) is high. Due to the imperialist culture 40 per cent of our youth are away from our activities. In 1980s there was no Television even radio was seen only in middle class families. Now cassette recorders and decks become a normal feature… Cricket, volleyball, carom board, chess, ball badminton and kabaddi are played. Every village has cricket and volleyball.
This, precisely, is what makes the separatist movement in Telangana integral to Maoist designs in the region. The only possibility of the recovery of Maoist influence and dominance in Andhra Pradesh is envisaged through the Telangana agitation. Significantly, a detailed plan to encourage such separatism was drawn up in the Fourth North Telangana Special Zonal Committee Meeting of the People's War Group (PWG, now CPI-Maoist) in 1997, where it was concluded that, "when it comes to separate Telangana issue, it cannot be entrusted to others" and that "It is not proper to say that only constitutional means would be adopted." Indeed, in the PWG's State Conference in 1995, a resolution had already been passed to start an agitation for the formation of a separate Telangana. What we are seeing in the Telangana region today is a slow and systematic unfolding of the Maoist plan for a sundering of the State, through various proxies, in order to restore their own disruptive dominance.
All the formations currently spearheading the separatist movement, including the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Telangana Praja Front (TPF), have a large representation of ex-Maoist cadres and leaders, and have synchronised their campaigns with various Maoist directives on the issue.
The observations of the Sri Krishna Report in this regard, in its 'secret' Chapter 8, are significant:
With the bifurcation of the state and Hyderabad in Telangana region, incidents of agitations, dharnas and even violence, are expected. This may result in flight of capital, stagnant growth and disincentive for entrepreneurs, leading to slow down of economic activity.
The Maoists are also likely to gain by the creation of a new state. The new state is likely to be soft towards them initially, given that they have over the years supported the struggle for the formation of Telangana. By the time the state realizes the Maoist menace, it may be too late for the state to handle them with a bifurcated police force contributing to a weaker response to the problem. The CPI (Maoist) will also use political boundaries of state and districts, to their advantage. It is not without reason that most of the Maoist zones, sub- zones etc., straddle state and district boundaries.
Telangana is also contiguous with other highly affected Maoist areas viz., Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra States. As such it is likely that the Maoists will extend their activities from these neighbouring states to Telangana, especially the districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, parts of Nizamabad and Medak in north Telangana and Mahboobnagar and Nalgonda in south Telangana. It is important to note that it is not entirely a coincidence that the increased spread of Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, has been after the creation of these states. Increase in poverty which is a natural corollary to a slowdown in economic activity, will drive more people into the arms of the CPI ( Maoist). This may again lead to a vicious cycle of Naxalism, leading to less of economic activity and greater impoverishment, which may provide fillip to left wing extremism.
An important development that has to be noted is that after K. Chandra Shekar Rao gave up his fasting protest on 30.11.2009, Gaddar organized wide spread protests and later the top leadership of Maoists including Kishanji @ Mallojula Koteshwar have organized various protests programs through students of Osmania University and other universities of Telangana. Thus, while the student's involvement in the Telangana agitation became very intense due to the encouragement of the local committees of the Maoists, Telangana Rashtra Samithi was also forced to utilize simmering sentiment in the students. When the intensity of the agitation by TRS started ebbing down, Gaddar floated a new front called Telangana Praja Front (TPF) on the instructions of the underground cadre of the Maoists to sustain agitation for a very prolonged duration. This front, which is totally Maoist backed and motivated, tried to project itself as an alternate to KCR and TRS. Thus, the Maoists are trying to make a come back through the Telangana agitation. The impact of possible growth of Maoist/ Naxal influence in Telangana has to be evaluated in the right perspective keeping in mind that a large number of important and sensitive industries are located in and around Hyderabad.
It is unfortunately the case that the Centre's policies and pronouncements, and especially the December 9, 2010, announcement of an imminent division of Andhra Pradesh by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, have inflamed the agitators further. The resignation of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Telangana region since July 4, 2011, can only worsen the situation. The problem has been aggravated significantly by the succession war within the Congress Party after the death of Chief Minister YSR Reddy in a helicopter accident in September 2009, and the claims of his son, Jagan Reddy, with his breakaway YSR Party.
All parties and groups opposed to state division have been intimidated by the threat of a violent backlash to maintain their silence. Some political formations have opportunistically changed their positions, sensing some electoral advantage in the Telangana region by shifting from an integrationist to a separatist position.
There is a grave and imminent danger of a Maoist revival in the Telangana region if a separate State is created there. Indeed, the increasing chaos of the Telangana agitation has already created new spaces for Maoist revival and consolidation, though the operation of armed cadres is still being effectively contained by the Police. The rising apprehensions and potential backlash in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions can only widen such spaces. The Maoist leadership and cadres from this State have played – and continue to play – a historically pivotal role in the armed insurrection across all affected areas of the country. A Maoist revival in Andhra Pradesh will not only wipe out hard-won gains in Telangana and in the wider State; it would have disastrous consequences for the Maoist 'red corridor' States, and for the internal security situation in India at large.
Ajai Sahni is Editor SAIR; Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management & SATP. Courtesy: the South Asia Intelligence Review of the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
URL to the article: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?277672
Tags: ajai sahni, Andhra, kps gill, national security, naxal, rayalaseema, Telangana
Proud of our Team
Visalandhra Mahasabha's media workshop in Delhi was successful beyond our expectations. Kuldip Nayar, Dr. Sanjay Baru, and KPS Gill have made waves across the nation with their unequivocal stand against the division of Andhra Pradesh. Each of them took a different line of reasoning to make their case. Kuldip Nayar talked about Punjab and Haryana and how division of the state is not in the national interest. Dr. Sanjay Baru, with his experience at the Prime Minister's Office, reasoned that smaller divided Telugu states will lose the leverage that they currently have in Delhi. Lastly, KPS Gill took the internal security angle while reciting his experiences in Punjab and Assam. On the whole, all three vociferously said that division of Andhra Pradesh is not in the national interest.
Follow-up to our exhibition and media workshop, the integrationist cause continues to make headway in the media.
Here are some of the other articles that came, after we held our media workshop:
1) Visalandhra Mahasabha Dr. Prakala Prabhakar's interview in the Business Standard: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-parakala-prabhakar/442153/
2) Visalandhra Mahasabha Sri. Challagulla Narasimha Rao's article in India Today: http://visalandhra.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_924.html
3) Manoj Mitta from Times of India for sometime has been writing articles that look like TRS pamphlets. A day after our Delhi workshop, we were elated to see Times of India editorial critical of the separatist movement. To our greatest satisfaction, the editorial had some of our lines of argument: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Telangana-tangle/articleshow/9114343.cms
4) Here is a link to the article I wrote which was published in Tribune. You will need to scroll down the page to find it: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110711/nation.htm#top
5) Here is a link to the article that Dr. Parakala Prabhakar wrote for Tribune, again please scroll down: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110711/nation.htm#top
6) Andhra Prabha carried a detailed story on Visalandhra Mahasabha in its op-ed page on July 13th 2011. I am unable to find an Internet link, but you can find it in the printed edition.
7) Here is the article that was published in Governance Now, which I sent you in the past: http://www.governancenow.com/news/regular-story/telangana-flawed-idea
'8) Lastly and most importantly, Chaitanya compiled the extensive coverage that the event got in the media. The following pdf has all the details: http://www.myteluguroots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Coverage_of_VMS_Media_Workshop.pdf
In conclusion, I am proud to be surrounded by an extraordinary group of brave, driven, and thoughtful individuals. Our accomplishment in Delhi speaks for itself. Visalandhra Mahasabha will be relentless in its efforts to keep our state united.
Tags: Andhra, challagulla Narasimha rao, kps gill, kuldip nayar, parakala prabhakar, rayalaseema, sanjay baru, Telangana
Division – Not in the National Interest
Andhra State was the first linguistic state that came into existence after India's independence. When Nizam of Hyderabad in 1947 started toying with the idea of becoming an independent nation, Nehru ordered Indian military into Hyderabad state and merged the territory into Republic of India.
Hyderabad state was then made up of Kannada, Marathi and Telugu speaking regions. To decide how Indian states should be constituted, Nehru appointed the States Reorganization Commission. The commission recommended the merger of Telugu speaking Nizam region with the Andhra state, but recommended a waiting period of 5 years before the merger, to allay some of the concerns expressed by a handful of Congress party leaders. However, there was a strong desire among the Telugu people of all regions to unite. When a resolution for merger was placed in the Hyderabad assembly, 2/3rd of the legislators from Nizam ruled Telugu region favoured an immediate merger. Eventually, after a good bit of deliberation, Nehru's government agreed to constitute all non-Hindi speaking states of India along linguistic lines.
Breaking the national model of linguistic states to allay the political movements started by leaders like KCR would open a pandora's box for similar movements across several linguistic states of India. This could potentially be a destabilizing force on the nation. Succumbing to the demand for division of Andhra Pradesh will add fuel to the movements for Bodoland out of Assam, Kongu Nadu out of Tamilnadu, Tulu Nadu out of Karnataka, Vidarbha out of Maharashtra, Gorkhaland out of West Bengal.
The announcement made by Home Minister Chidambaram on December 9th 2009 to divide Andhra Pradesh was done in haste. Unlike creation of states like Chattisgarh or Uttarakhand, division of Andhra Pradesh is complex and convoluted.
Capital city Hyderabad is a major source of state revenue. According to a clarification given in the State Assembly in 2008 by the then Finance Minister Rosaiah, 37% of the state's revenues come from Hyderabad alone. Andhra Pradesh state budget is well over one lakh crore rupees. In a divided state, Hyderabad city would fall in the Nizam Telangana region. As a result, Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema will claim a stake in Hyderabad's revenues. They will argue that they too have contributed to the growth of the capital. An amicable solution to this thorny problem is almost impossible.
If Andhra Pradesh state is divided, there will be a bitter battle among Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra and Uttara Andhra regions to have the state capital in their own regions. Rayalaseema will insist on having Kurnool as the capital, whereas Coastal Andhra will insist on having Vijayawada or Guntur as the capital, while Uttara Andhra will insist on making the port city of Vizag as the capital of the newly minted state. This battle for capital will no doubt turn into an intractable mess and may lead to violent movements for further division of the state into Rayalaseema, Uttara Andhra, and Coastal Andhra.
Hyderabad city has millions of Telugu people that came from all parts of the state. Vitriol used by leaders like KCR, with statements such as "Tongues will be cut if anybody demands UT status for Hyderabad", or threats of "civil war" or slogans such as "Telangana wale jago, Andhra wale bhago", or TRS party MP Vijaya Shanthi openly saying, "whoever enters the Telangana region (for campaigning) will be axed" have instilled fear among the populace. Assaults on prominent leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and IAS officer Vijayanand and many more have caused millions of people from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to question their personal security in a Telangana state.
There are several other intractable issues on the economic front. For example, two of the major power and irrigation projects in the state, Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam are situated right on the border of Nizam Telangana and Coastal Andhra. Add to this mix the disputes that will arise over allocation of river waters to the newly formed states. Problems such as these make the division of Andhra Pradesh a non-trivial matter.
It is clear that the Maoists are in favour of dividing the Andhra Pradesh state. In fact, it can be argued that they are the ones who sowed the seeds for the current separatist movement. Years before KCR dreamt of starting the movement for a separate state, the Naxal's North Telangana Special Zonal Committee (NTSZC) in 1997 has passed a resolution favouring the formation of Telangana state. During this session detailed strategies about how to build the movement for a separate state have been schemed. Not surprisingly, many of these tactics are currently being employed by the separatists. On January 3rd 2011, KCR, while welcoming former Naxal Sambasivudu into his paty's fold, promised to endorse and implement the Naxal agenda after the formation of Telangana state. A divided Andhra Pradesh state will strengthen the Naxal movement. A smaller weaker Telangana state could potentially turn into another Maoist hotbed like Chattisgarh and plays into Naxals dream of creating a Maoist corridor of Telangana, Bastar (Chattisgarh), South Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. This is a matter of grave national security.
For too long, Congress, BJP, TDP and other smaller parties used the issue of Telangana for their short term political gains. Andhra Pradesh today is reaping the follies of these myopic positions. The time has come for all political parties to put the interests of nation ahead of their political expediencies. The time has come for the central and state governments to unequivocally stand against not only the division of Andhra Pradesh state but also against division of all linguistic states. Our country has more important priorities at this juncture. If our leaders intend to achieve the double-digit GDP growth and if they are serious about competing with other emerging economies like China, the separatist movements such as the one in Andhra Pradesh should have been nipped in the bud, and it is still not too late.
Tags: Andhra, kosta, maoist, naxal, rayalaseema, Telangana, Telugu
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Visalandhra Mahasabha (for a United Andhra Pradesh)
Visalandhra Mahasabha is formed by us who are dedicated to the cause of unity of Telugu people. We seek to celebrate our glorious history, our ancient language and our rich culture. We feel that it is our sacred duty to preserve the unity of our State.
We draw our inspiration from the founders and leaders of Andhra Mahasabha. They were the pioneers who worked for the unity of Telugu people. They planted the seeds of the idea of a linguistic State for the Telugu people in the beginning of the last century itself. They wanted the Telugu people, then scattered across different political units, to come and live together under one administrative entity. As a result of the great sacrifices of the Andhra Mahasabha leaders from the Circar, Ceded, and the Nizam regions, our State came into existence. Our goal is to revive the noble spirit of Andhra Mahasabha. Under the aegis of Visalandhra Mahasabha, we dedicate ourselves to strive for preserving the geographic unity and integrity of our great State that came into existence after a protracted struggle against the British, the Nizam rulers, as well as the Indian government.
Visalandhra Mahasabha is firmly opposed to the division of Andhra Pradesh.
We are immensely troubled by the separatist agitation that has been raging in our state for the past 10 years. We are of the firm belief that the separatist agitation is built on blatant lies, false propaganda, and agit-prop techniques. They are adopting Fascist methods to silence the voices of unity. They are resorting to verbal abuse, intimidation, and even physical violence. Unfortunately, a credible and sustained campaign against separatist agitation has not been built in the last 10 years. The falsehoods and canards spread by the separatists are not being effectively contested and exposed. All these months and years, the separatist argument went unchallenged.
Justice Srikrishna Committee's (SKC's) comprehensive and well-researched report rubbished the various false claims made by the separatists. After a year-long rigorous study, the committee dispelled the myths and falsehoods, the separatists have been consistently spreading, about the Nizam region's backwardness, underdevelopment, and its discrimination and exploitation by Circar and Ceded regions since the formation of the State of Andhra Pradesh.
The separatists have lost their argument. Today, their lies stand exposed. But they continue their agitation. Without an argument. Without a basis. And without a reason.
Separatists want the people to believe that "if you love the Nizam region, you must demand the division of the State". That is the conceptual trap that the separatists have successfully laid during the last ten years. Visalandhra Mahasabha feels that love for Nizam region and demand for a separate State are not one and the same. These two need to be decoupled in the minds of the people. Advocates of Unity are not the enemies of Nizam region. On the contrary, it is the separatists, who are, indeed, its enemies. This message needs to be taken to the people.
Visalandhra Mahasabha feels that the immediate task, however, is to bring the findings of SKC report to the attention of the top leadership of various political parties in the Country. It is important to expose the falsehoods spread by the separatists, who sowed the seeds of suspicion, hatred and division, in the minds of Telugu people. Over the next few months, we will conduct a sustained campaign. We will make sure that the argument for United Andhra Pradesh is heard by all the important political and media personalities who will play a key role in deciding the fate of our beloved State.
We want you to be part of this noble endeavour. Please 'Like' our facebook page and become a 'Supporter' of Visalandhra Mahasabha. Do bring in at least ten more people to join our movement for Unity. Give power to the voice of Visalandhra Mahasabha. Help, preserve, the Unity of our State.
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Visalandhra-Mahasabha-For-a-United-Andhra-Pradesh/195686113787989
* Dr. Parakala Prabhakar (Ph.D., from London School of Economics, Political Economist, and Policy Consultant)
* Challagulla Narasimha Rao (Eminent Political Aanalyst, author of over 30 books, and 500 articles in various news papers and magazines)
* Prof. Atlury Murali (Ph.D., from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Professor of History, University of Hyderabad)
* Prof. C M K Reddy (DSc(Hon) FRCS(Glas) FRCS(Ire) General & Vascular Surgeon. President, Tamil Nadu Medical Practitioners' Association (TAMPA), All India Telugu Federation (AITF))
* Sunkara Venkateswar Rao (Founder of Bachao Hyderabad organization, Founder of Sri Guru Peetham Spiritual Trust)
* Kumar Chowdhary Yadav (Founder, Samaikyandhra Samithi Party)
* Dr. Syed Faheem (Dentist by profession, started United Andhra Pradesh facebook group that attracted over 30,000 members)
* Nalamotu Chakravarthy (Management Consultant, MBA from Columbia University, General Secretary Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Indians, author of the book "My Telugu Roots")
Tags: Andhra, andhra pradesh, nizam, rayalaseema, Telangana, Telugu, unity, visalandhra
Separatists' Assault on Freedom
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Thank you to all those of you that expressed concern with regards to my safety. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the distortions that have been put out by several media houses in the last 24 hours.
I have been working on getting my book translated for over 3 months and the work on it has completed recently. I was originally planning to release before July 27th the telugu version of my book titled "Mana Telugu Talli- Asatyala Punadula Pai Nirmithamaina Telangana Verpatuvaadam". Friends have advised that I shouldn't do given the prevailing tensions associated with the elections, and I heeded. Then I was again advised not to release when the election results are coming out given the prevailing tensions. I finally decided to release the book on August 2nd as I have been away from my wife and kids for an extended period and I was not willing to postpone my departure date yet again.
As a precautionary measure, I've requested for police protection and informed the police about my plans. They cautioned me to do the release on another day. I told them that the invitations have already been sent out and I can't change the date. The event was held at the Press Club in Somajiguda. There were two doors to the room where the event was held- one in the front and another in the back. A.B.K. Prasad, K. Rajshekharam, Dara Sambaiah, C. Narasimha Rao, and C. Srinivas were the guests. First Narasimha Rao garu spoke, then A.B.K. Prasad garu released the book and started speaking.
As the speech was going on, a couple of people in the back started shouting slogans and tried to rush towards the dias. Venkateswarao garu, Punnam garu and others who came in our support stopped them from reaching me. While all this was going on, one of the protestors managed to come through the front door, and threw a book at A.B.K. Prasad garu, but it didn't hit him. Then the same person tried to assault me. Punnam garu and Venkatewsarao garu standing near the dias immediately pounced on him. The protestor at this point managed to throw the book at me with force, which landed straight on my head. I was slightly hurt, and one of the lens from my spectacles fell off.
There were about 5-7 protestors. After about five minutes of pushing and shoving, people who came in my support have managed to push them out of the room.
By then some of the guests have left the room to watch the unfolding scene outside. What happened outside has been for the most part captured on the cameras and has been aired on TV.
I told the people in the room that I intend to finish the book release function and refuse to leave without exercising my fundamental right to express my opinion. Someone in the audience went out and asked the guests to come back in. The press also came back into the room. We've all again sat on the stage and I talked about my book for about 10 minutes, then I condemned the assault on freedom of speech and how everyone should notice what has happened. I urged people to fight for their fundamental rights. After this Srinivas garu gave an inspiring speech and told how he respectfully disagreed with my position. At this point we ended the function.
The press people refused to leave and insisted that I give an interview. In the meantime one of my friends came in and told me that I am not obligated to give an interview as this is a book release function, and not a press meet. He suggested that I should leave immediately as the crowd is building outside. Punnam garu suggested that I take three questions and leave. That seemed like a decent compromise, but the press people protested saying that three is too few. I said that I will take three questions and that's it. First question came from a journalist and he went on rambling for 5 minutes about how Nizam region suffered without asking the question. I interrupted him a couple of times to ask the question, but he wasn't in a mood to ask, but tell. Then I moved on to a second journalist, and his question was- "meeru telangana dopidiki guri kaledu ani enduku antunnaru?". At this point I realized that these jounalists are not interested in an interview, but to drag me into an argument. I got up and left the room.
When I got out, an army of media people pounced on me. They didn't let me go and started accusing me of all sorts of things imaginable. There were a group of 20-30 police, but they didn't dare to rescue me. A lone police officer waded through the crowd, approached me and said I should leave right away for the sake of my safety. I told him that that is exactly what I am trying to do, but I am unable to find my car in the crowd. He said first get in my jeep and leave, we will find your car.
The press pounced on the police officer accusing him of interefering with freedom of press and hurled all sorts of regional insults at him. He said he was not helping me, but protecting me. They then shouted at him asking why then has he asked me to get in his jeep. At this point, the police officer backed off. I was again left to myself to find my car as the journalists continued to harass me. I eventually found my car, but the press people refused to let my car go and blocked it. I got in my car and shut the door. They forcibly opened the car door and would not let me close it. The police officer who tried to help me earlier, again came to my rescue. He pushed the people blocking my car aside, shut the door and asked us to leave immediately and we did.
This is what has happened on that eventful day. Contrary to the media reports, we in fact have finished the entire book release function and only then left the press club.
A couple of quick clarifications on some of the allegations.
- There has been a lot of noise about where I come from. I refuse to be identified by region, as I believe these divisions and regions have been created by invaders. I have never claimed myself to be a Telanganite, I've only said that my native place is Nalgonda. So, here is everything I know about my roots. I was born in Hyderabad. My father and mother were both born in Nalgonda district. My father was born in my native village near Nalgonda, while my mother was born in a village near Kodad. My paternal grand father and paternal grand mother (nayanamma) were also born in Nalgonda district. My great grand mother (my paternal grand father's mother) came from a village in Guntur nearly hundred years ago. On the other hand, my nayanamma's family is from a village near Miryalguda. Her father and forefathers were village patels and that tradition is continuing to this day. My nayanamma's family members still act as village officers in their village near Miryalguda.
- A TV channel has been carrying a vicious campaign that I am promoting Samaikyandhra to protect my Rs. 300 crores assets in and around Hyderabad. I can categorically state that my assets are not even worth a fraction of that. On top of it, common sense dictates that if I really care about my assets, I should stay quiet and not stand up to fight.
Last few days events have only increased my resolve to fight against separatism with all my might- and this will not be the last time you will hear from me. The fight will go on.
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, kosta, rayalaseema, Telangana
Here are the links to the TV interviews we have done a few weeks ago. Studio N interview conducted by Ramesh Garu is by far the most comprehensive interview I have done on TV. Of all the TV anchors that interviewed me, Ramesh Garu was the only one that read my book and you will notice the difference in the quality of interview. The program lasted for an hour without any commercial breaks.
Studio N Interview:
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642a8qejPGc
Part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJx7gtt63o
Part3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGlYBumFxBk
Part4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FgCrHXYHLs
Part5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_CjUq4RPLQ
Part6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2y8koKuX6g
Part7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfSG3bVXZrQ
Part8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSgrLzgrL2M
TV9 Interview:
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513Il_2nstM
Part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxbwZ3da3nc
NTV Interview:
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkLFis-U6tI
Part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWWWhDiBJdU
Part3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWR0Y1uArnc
ABN Andhra Jyothy:
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oeTJ8TyPhM
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqjR1Q-bodg
Tags: abn, Andhra, chakravarthy, kosta, nizam, ntv, rayalaseema, studio n, Telangana, Telugu, tv9
Meeting with the Srikrishna Committee & the Governor of Andhra Pradesh
A number of you have asked for the details of APNRI's meeting with the Srikrishna Committee and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh; so, here you go.
We've arrived in Hyderabad early in the morning on 15th June. Srinivas garu went to Hyderabad a couple of weeks earlier. He booked a room at a local club to use as a meeting point for everyone. We went to the room around noon and started brainstorming for the next day's session. We've invited a few other folks who had presented to the Srikrishna Committee in the past to get their input. At the end of these discussions, we decided to add one more slide to our existing presentation to reflect the progressive trends around the globe towards unification. For example, East and West Germany, Turkey's efforts to join European Union, despite deep cultural differences etc.
We were scheduled to meet the committee at 11 PM at the MCHR building on June 16th. We reached the gate and the police cross-checked our names against the list they had. At this point we were let in. We drove to the building and were told to go to the 2nd floor.
SKC's multimedia manager met us in the waiting area and asked if we have a PowerPoint presentation. We gave the file in a USB-drive and they promised to load up the presentation and be ready.
We were ushered in after about a half-hour. We walked into the meeting room and were pleasantly surprised to see Justice Srikrishna. We were told that Srikrishna was abroad and would not be there for our session. When I enquired about his travel, he said he was in the U.S. visiting his family and just returned.
The large room had tables arranged in a U shape and a screen for the projector in the middle. The committee members sat in the middle. They've asked those who will do the presentation to sit on one side and the rest on the other side. Punnam garu, Srinivas garu, and I sat on one side and the rest of the team sat on the other side. We introduced ourselves by giving our name, State we hailed from, and the profession. After the introductions Punnam garu introduced the organization and our goals. Then we went into the presentation.
The presentation was basically structured into four parts: i) History of Telugus living together and background on the current movement ii) Data to show how each region performed since the State formation iii) How NRIs are impacted by the current movement iv) What we believe are some solutions to the ongoing problem
One other thing I figured out quickly with the SKC was that they pick up counter arguments from the separatists and use it against integrationists and they use integrationist arguments against separatists. Also, not surprisingly, SKC has never seen our submission before. The committee received thousands of submissions and these are supposed to be reviewed by the consulting companies that SKC hired. However, I doubt even if the consulting companies have the bandwidth to review what people have sent.
Here are some of the questions they asked us during the course of the presentation. These are not verbatim, but paraphrased to the best of our team member's memories. Of all the members of the SKC, during our presentation Dr. Ravinder Kaur had the most sympathetic expression, while Justice Srikrishna lightened up the environment with his sense of humor. SKC has warned us upfront that they will take an opposite view to extract as much information as they can from us.
While presenting our views about how human relations will suffer if the State is partitioned,
Dr. Ravinder Kaur argued that: Haryana and Punjab have separated in the past and seem to be doing well.
APNRI Response-1: The issue of capital Chandigarh is unresolved after all these years and continues to be a sticking point.
APNRI Response-2: Divisions such as the current one proposed in Andhra Pradesh are fundamentally rooted in hatred. If people are separated on this basis, it will leave deep wounds. Families that left Pakistan after partition to this day cannot reconcile with what has happened.
Mr. Duggal: After all, this is a constitutionally governed country. Whether a State is divided or not, people still have the fundamental rights and they can live anywhere they want. What is the harm in division?
APNRI: The current demand is built on misinformation. Telugu people have a long history of living together. Separatist violence has left deep suspicions in people's mind about their future and security. In addition to that, separatists are openly making proclamations of a great war, civil war, and turning rivers red. We are not opposed division of the State as long as there is a national framework and it is done for administrative reasons with mutual consent. However, the reasons cited for division today are untenable.
On our argument about Nizam region's economy will suffer in the event of division-
Mr. Duggal: The new Chief Minister of a Telangana State won't be a fool. Do you really think he will drive Andhra investors away to the detriment of Telangana State's economy?
APNRI: Neither is the new Chief Minister of Andhra going to be a fool. The first day he comes into office he will announce incentives of free power, free land, and a tax free regime for businesses that move to Andhra. He will further lobby investors from Andhra to leave Telangana by arguing that they have been mistreated, attacked, and have been accused of being looters. As a result, Nizam region's economy will suffer.
During the discussion around how the IT industry will be impacted-
Justice Srikrishna: How will the division impact IT industry? I understand there is some slowdown now, however, once things return to normalcy, IT sector should grow as usual.
APNRI: Investments are already fleeing the State in large volumes. Our research shows that the State has already fallen behind by 5 years. There are members in our organization who are staunch integrationists, yet have moved a section of their staff to Bangalore already to deal with possibility of further violence in Hyderabad.
Justice Srikrishna: But those are all short-term impacts. In the long-run, let's say 5 years from today, IT industry should fall back to normalcy.
APNRI: In the event of two States, there will be intense competition between the two regions for IT business. As a result, some of the IT business will inevitably go to the Kosta region and this in fact would hurt the Telangana economy.
APNRI: Similarly, real estate sector will also suffer with investments slowing down or moving to other regions.
On the topic of human relationships and APNRI's argument that people across all regions are forming relationships including some of the prominent leaders in the current separatist movement; Dr. Ravinder Kaur wanted to know how many of us that are there that day have married across regions. Three members of our team have said they have married across the regions.
When we gave examples of businesses moving to Bangalore, Chennai, and Shanghai-
Dr. Abusaleh Shariff: Hyderabad is a cosmopolitan city, just like Bangalore. Infosys recently announced that it will expand its operations. Do you think this is an issue that will affect business?
APNRI: Infosys entered a deal prior to the recent violence and had to expand its operations per its agreement with the government. (One of our team members gave a personal example of Citi which originally planned to start its operations in Hyderabad, but decided to move to Shanghai)
When we said that Smt. Gandhi's 6-point formula has done more harm than good, by perpetuating the differences between regions-
Mr. Rajiv Sharma: Why blame just Gandhi. Leaders of all regions from A.P. have consented to the agreement.
APNRI: Mrs. Gandhi was the leader of the country and was in-charge of the agreement that was put together. Yes, A.P. leaders have to take the blame too, but it was Mrs. Gandhi who was at the helm.
During the concluding remarks-
APNRI: Justice Srikrishna, we urge you to exercise caution with the words you use in your report. We are confident that you will be objective in your assessment. Irrespective of what your recommendation may be, please see to it that there is no verbiage that reflects that there has been discrimination of one region by the other region. Your words will be used 20 years down the road to start another violent movement, the way SRC and Bachawat reports are being used.
Justice Srikrishna: Humorously, "Are you asking me not to use words loosely in my report?"
With that everyone laughed, exchanged pleasantries, shook hands and left the meeting. The session lasted about an hour and a half.
GOVERNOR'S MEETING
We went to the Raj Bhavan the following day to meet the Governor. After the security check and cross-checking of our names, we were ushered into a visitor room. After snacks and tea, we were then taken into another large room with Nizam style décor that has two large chairs and two sofas. Governor came in about 30 minutes late and apologized for the delay.
We presented him a copy of our report. He skimmed through it and before we could speak, he started talking. He gave an inspirational monologue about why we all should come back to India and make a difference by working in the country. We said, we are helping Indian economy through knowledge-transfer, investments, and by being cultural ambassadors of the country. I don't think we could convince him
We eventually managed to steer him to the topic of separation. We told him about NRI concerns with regards to law and order. He again veered around saying there is violence in other parts of the world too and that India or Hydreabad is not unique in this matter.
After pestering him a bit more, he eventually took off his gloves. He said that the government is paying close attention to the law and order situation. He asked if we noticed that the violence has been coming down significantly since February and then asked us: "do you think the reduction in violence is just an accident?"
He then assured us that the government will do everything in its power to put things in order. Interestingly, he said, there could again be violence in January and we should all be prepared for it. However, he assured that the government is taking all the measures to ensure law and order prevails.
That is a brief summary of our discussion.
Tags: Andhra, apnri, chakravarthy, duggal, hyderabad, india, kosta, nizam, ranbir singh, ravinder kaur, rayalaseema, sharif, skc, srikrishna, Telangana
It's time for Chidambaram to go
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
(This note was written based on several different conversations I had with leaders of Andhra Pradesh. Few bloggers have pointed out that Dr. Singh and Sri Mukherjee were in Delhi on December 9th, so I stand corrected. However, it is widely accepted among senior leaders in A.P. and Delhi that Chidambaram was the one that took charge and orchestrated the events that led to December 9th announcement. Dr. Singh was in Russia while these developments were going on and looks like the announcement was made soon after he reached India.
Also, one of my overzealous bloggers had slightly modified this note and I have restored the original content)
Sri Chidamabaram is the Home Minister of a country that took on Khalistani extremist violence in Punjab head-on. A country that fought three wars with Pakistan and is battling hardcore terrorists in Kashmir every day. A country that battled LTTE militants in Sri Lanka. A country that rescued Maldives that was under mercenaries' siege. Indian military flew 2000 kilometers, drove out the combatants and restored that country's government.
Yet, the Home Minister of one of the most powerful countries in the world, yielded to a man who was on a phony fast and was not in any imminent health danger and who in fact was eager to give up his fast even if the central government winked at him.
Instead of diffusing the crisis in A.P., what did our esteemed Home Minister do? He found an opportune moment when two senior most leaders Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee, known for their prudence and wisdom, were out of the country. On December 9th he pressured Sonia Gandhi, despite her reservations about a hasty decision being forced on her in the middle of the night, that unless she agrees to split the State, Andhra Pradesh will go up in flames. The intelligence report allegedly sent by the State authorities sympathetic to separatists came in handy to impress upon her.
In 1937 C. Rajagopalachari became the Chief Minister of Madras. He skillfully managed to divide Telugus by giving the ministerial posts to Kosta telugus and none to Rayalaseema leaders. It took a great deal of effort and signing of Sribagh pact to undo the damage done to Telugu unity by Rajagopalachari. In 1949 as Governor General, Rajagopalachari visited Hyderabad and publicly stated that he is opposed to the division of Hyderabad State, which re-energized Telugus to fight for Vishalandhra. Later on in December 1952, after Potti Sriramulu's death, Justice Wachoo recommended making Madras the temporary capital of Telugus. Rajagopalachari threatened Nehru with his resignation and ensured that Madras was robbed from us.
Home Minister Chidambaram, like C. Rajagopalachari, is playing a spoil sport with Telugus. In an article written for Indian Express May 18, 2003, Chidambaram wrote: "In my view, there is a strong case for the creation of…Telangana (out of Andhra Pradesh, population 7.57 crore)."
While Andhra Pradesh is the 5th largest State in India, Tamilnadu happens to be the 6th largest State in the country with over 6 crores population. Yet, when PMK leader Ramadoss, in light of Chidambaram's December 9th announcement to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, demanded similar bifurcation of Tamilnadu, Home Minister termed the demand as "meaningless and absurd" and said that the idea should be nipped in the bud.
When it came to division of his home State, the Home Minister reacted emotionally almost in a knee-jerk fashion. Yet when it came to Andhra Pradesh he took advantage of every excuse to enable the division of Telugu people. He didn't even bother to consult the cabinet, the parliament, nor the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly before eagerly and unilaterally announcing the decision to divide the State of Andhra Pradesh.
Chidambaram's follies are not confined to Andhra Pradesh. Under his leadership Naxals are going on a rampage. Media has been idolizing Chidambaram as a Sardar Patel's reincarnation. Looks like that got into our Home Minister's head.
Our Patel wannabe Home Minister started "Operation Green Hunt" on Naxalites. He rolled in Central Reserve Police Force and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action against Naxals. What are the results of his high-profile offensive so far? 25 policemen killed in West Bengal, 76 CRPF and policemen killed in an ambush in Dantewada Chattisgarh, and another 26 CRPF men killed this week in Narayanpur district in Chattisgarh.
Home Minister Chidambaram should learn a lesson or two from late YSR. Andhra Pradesh was one of the worst Naxal affected States in the country. YSR didn't indulge in any major "operations" or threatened to bring aircrafts to tackle Naxalites. He initiated developmental activities in Naxal infested areas. He strengthened the intelligence network, and empowered the police to do their job. This has effectively halted Naxal menace in the state. YSR didn't make tall claims, nor held weekly press conferences, nor did he ever celebrate victory over Naxals.
If this is not enough, it is widely believed that the Home Minister played a chief role in the recent conflict between Manipur and Nagaland, wherein Nagas have blocked NH 39 and NH53 access for 65 days. This effectively denied the rest of the North Eastern States basic commodities like fuel, baby food, and medicine. It is widely believed that it is the Home Minister who opened the North East's pandora's box.
Home Minister Chidambaram during his brief stint has done enough damage to our nation through his actions. Under his leadership, Andhra Pradesh in the South, Kashmir in the North, and Nagaland, Manipur in the North East have gone up in flames. I hope the leadership of this country will wake up from its slumber and relieve Chidambaram from his public duties.
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, chidambaram, kcr, nizam, rayalaseema, Telangana
Whose Hyderabad is it?
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
When Sri Krishna Deva Raya took to the Vijayanagara throne in 1509, the empire was in a significantly weakened state. The entire coastal Telugu areas were occupied by Orissa. Similarly, the Kannada and Tamil regions have also raised a flag of revolt. 24 year old Sri Krishna Deva Raya was determined to put things in order. He first invaded Mysore (Srirangapatnam) and suppressed the Kannada revolt. He then marched on coastal Telugu region and drove out the Orissa army from Udayagiri, Kondavidu, Kondapalli, and Rajahmundry. After this Krishna Deva Raya marched on Tamil Coromandel coast and subdued that region as well. At the end of these battles, that lasted six long years, he was able to bring back the entire South India under Vijayanaagaram's suzerainty.
While Sri Krishna Deva Raya was busy consolidating his empire, Bahamani Empire of Deccan (Gulbarga) was going through infighting. Sultan Quli, who came to India from Turkey, raised a flag of revolt against Bahamani. He attacked Devarakonda and ended the Velama kingdom's rule.
Learning of the attack on the Velama kingdom, Sri Krishna Deva Raya rushed with his forces to rescue and camped at Panagal in Nalgonda. In a fierce battle that ensued, Sultan Quli defeated Sri Krishna Deva Raya forcing his retreat from Nalgonda.
Encouraged by his victory, Sultan Quli marched on Coastal Telugu districts. Sri Krishna Deva Raya learnt his lesson and moved into Coastal Andhra with a massive army and succeeded in driving out Sultan Quli's forces. As a result, today's Nizam region was separated from Telugu land and a tenuous peace reigned between Vijayanagaram and Qutub Shah who started ruling from Golkonda.
Sultan Quli's brother Ibrahim was the assumed heir to the Golkonda throne. Ibrahim got into a dispute with his brother. Vijayanagaram, after the premature death of Sri Krishna Deva Raya, was now under the rule of his son-in-law Aliya Rama. Aliya gave a large estate in Vijayanagaram to Ibrahim and provided protection from his brother. After the demise of Sultan Quli, Ibrahim left Vijayanagaram and went on to become the king of Golkonda.
Sadly, in the Talikota battle waged to destroy Vijayanagaram in the name of Jihad, Ibrahim became a mute spectator to the spectacle of his friend Aliya Rama's head getting chopped off by Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar. Though there are accounts that he was grief-stricken to witness his friend's killing, he did not stop it.
Ibrahim, after the demise of Vijayanagara Empire, started annexing its Telugu districts. In 1571-72 he captured Rajahmundry, in 1579 he captured Vinukonda, Kondavidu, Kacharlakota, and Khammam.
Hyderabad city was not founded at this time. After Ibrahim Quli's death, his son Mohammed Quli continued consolidating his hold on Vijayanagara Telugu regions. Mohammed occupied Kurnool, Cuddapah, Nandial, Dole, Gandikota, and Nellore.
Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah completed the consolidation of the Telugu region under Muslim rule. He founded Hyderabad in 1589. At the time of the city's founding the entire Telugu country, including the current Nizam, Circar, and Ceded regions, was under Qutub Shahs.
Mongolian Emperor Aurangazeb intended to consolidate his hold on South India. He attacked Golkonda and captured it in 1687, thus ending the Qutub Shahi rule. He appointed his representative Nizam to administer the Golkonda kingdom.
British entered India in 1600 to conduct trade through the East India Company. Inspired by the stupendous financial success of the East India Company, French entered Indian shores in 1650s through the French East India Company. British and French quickly went beyond their original goal of trade and got involved in regional conflicts between Indian kingdoms. British were the best in the world when it came to using gun powder, followed by the French.
Nizam Asaf Jah of Hyderabad declared independence from Delhi in 1720. Asaf Jah died in 1748. His sons got into a fight for the Hyderabad throne. British and French sided with different heirs in that power struggle. Both the British and French had their eyes set on the Coastal Telugu districts for maritime trade and military reasons.
French helped Nizam's third son Salabat to capture Hyderabad throne. In return for their generosity, Salabat assigned Coastal districts to the French. British concerned with the growing French influence, under the leadership of Colonel Clive, marched on the Coastal districts in 1759 and occupied the region. As a result, British were officially at war with the Hyderabad State.
Seven years later in 1766, British and the Nizam reached an agreement to end hostilities. In return for keeping the Coastal districts, British agreed to pay nine lakh rupees a year to Nizam. As you can see, though Coastal districts were separated from the rest of the Telugu land, the districts were still contributing to Hyderabad exchequer through the taxes paid to the British, which are in turn being passed on to Nizam.
The conflict between the British and French continued in the Indian subcontinent. Nizam once again sided with French and invited 15,000 French soldiers to protect Hyderabad. British marched on Hyderabad and drove out the French soldiers. Nizam was forced to accept British protection through a treaty signed in 1798. As a result, six battalions of British forces were placed in Hyderabad. Nizam was required to pay 24 lakh rupees a year for the maintenance of British troops.
Nizam could not pay the British these monies and as a result amassed a significant debt. In 1800 he was forced to cede Bellary and Cuddapah to the British in return for the British military expense.
So, it is clear that Hyderabad continued to receive British protection with the taxes paid by the Circar and Ceded districts even after these regions separated from the Hyderabad State.
Hyderabad State, in addition to the 8 Telugu districts, had 4 Kannada and 3 Maratha districts. There was an atrocious tax regime under Nizam. Peasants of all these districts paid taxes through their nose to Nizam.
Today's Hyderabad city is a source of revenue for the rest of the State. However, prior to 1956, the situation was quite different. The rural areas of the Hyderabad State financed the expenses required to maintain the capital city.
Now, with that background, who can stake a claim for Hyderabad city?
Our capital city belongs to the people living in erstwhile Nizam Telangana, Maratha, and Kannada districts- particularly the peasants.
It belongs to Hyderabadi Muslims including those that came from Iran, Iraq, Turkey and other places.
It belongs to the Marathis, Kannadigas, Marwadis, Rajputs, Gujaratis, Punjabis and many others who have been living in Hyderabad city for many generations.
Lastly, it belongs to the people of Circar and Ceded districts. As separatists call them, these people are not "settlers" but are rightful stakeholders of the Hyderabad city. Just like the poor peasants of the Nizam districts, their forefathers have also contributed to the development of Hyderabad city by paying taxes to the Qutub Shahs, the Nizams and the British.
Tags: Andhra, ceded, chakravarthy, circar, hyderabad, kosta, nizam, rayalaseema, srikrishnadevaraya, Telangana, Telugu
Article in Saakshi
Here is the translated article published in Saakshi newspaper that summarizes some of my views on United Andhra Pradesh:
http://www.sakshi.com/main/WeeklyDetails.aspx?Newsid=52750&Categoryid=1&subcatid=18
Tags: Andhra, apnri, kosta, nri, rayalaseema, saakshi, seema, separatism, Telangana, Telugu
KCR is Thirsting for Blood – What is Your Response Going to Be?
In a meeting attended by 15,000 delegates on April 28th in Secunderabad, TRS President KCR threatened that there will be a civil war if Andhra Pradesh State is not divided.
Going by the recent wave of separatist violence, KCR might not be making empty threats. Separatist thuggery will most likely resume post December, 2010. The real question is- how will the integrationists respond to these threats of violence?
The State Government's pusillanimous handling of the recent spate of violence reinforced separatists' view, that force is the best tool to achieve their jingoistic goals. Complement that with the leftist militant ideology that crept into the movement. Further complement that with the Central Government's bowing to the pea-sized pressure brought on by KCR's supposed indefinite hunger strike.
Government's failure to stamp down violence has encouraged the separatists to a point where they are now making open threats of a civil war.
So, what is the integrationists' response to the threats of violence going to be? Will the Samaikya Vaadhis at last wake up from their slumber and form a formidable organization that can stand up to the separatist might?
Throughout the current separatist movement, integrationist leaders have adopted a strategy of appeasement. Threats and acts of violence were mostly ignored or downplayed. Integrationists opined that standing up to the separatists will further incite them and will only exacerbate the situation.
If history is any guide, a bully cannot be reasoned. Gandhi's philosophy of peace would not have worked against a fascist like Hitler. Pakistan can only be reasoned from a position of strength. KCR's threats of violence can only be dealt with a credible response of self-defense.
In a civil society no man has a right to physically assault another man, unless such an assault is expressly granted by a court of law. A man cannot assault his foe. A husband cannot assault his wife. A parent cannot assault a child. A police officer cannot assault a criminal. A mob cannot lynch a reckless driver. A separatist cannot assault an integrationist and vice-versa.
Unprovoked physical assault is the most egregious crime a man can commit. Physical assault is not only a criminal offense, but it is the most immoral act a man can commit. If our creator were to maintain a list of man's most immoral acts, physical assault on life will top that list.
However, there is another important aspect to the philosophy of life. While physical assault is immoral and criminal, we men also have a solemn responsibility to defend our lives. Life is a god given gift and self-defense is every man's fundamental right.
What is self-defense? Where does government promised security to its citizens fit in this scheme of self-defense? Isn't it the role of government to protect its citizens when they are under assault? If citizens take law into their hands, wouldn't there be chaos all around?
One may claim that a society where people are defending themselves will quickly get out of hand. However, evidence shows otherwise. People have died by millions when they failed to defend themselves- whether it is the 6 million Jews that died during the second world war, or the 800,000 Tutsis that were killed in mere 100 days in Rwanda, or nearly a third of Cambodia's population of 2.5 million killed by Khmer Rouge, or a conservative estimate of 20 million killed by the Communists in the Soviet Union.
I am not suggesting that we answer separatist violence with more violence. I am urging for a credible self-defense. When attacked, be prepared to defend yourself and that includes assaulting your attacker. Most civilized nations, including India, grants its citizens the right to self-defense.
In a self-defense case, Supreme Court Justice D K Jain ruled: "When an individual or his property is faced with a danger and immediate aid from state machinery is not readily available, that individual is entitled to protect himself and his property."
If you assault a man without provocation- you are a criminal. On the other hand, if you defend yourself when assaulted- you are a model citizen and a moral human being.
Hyderabad and Rangareddi together have nearly 80 lakh people. There are less than twenty thousand police in the city to protect millions of residents. If KCR acts on his desire to see the Musi River turn red, there just won't be enough cops to protect everyone.
It is time for people in communities to start thinking about how they would defend themselves. It is high time integrationists start responding to the separatist vitriol. It is way past time integrationists build an organization that can stand toe-to-toe against the hate-mongering separatists.
The separatist movement should be fought by the integrationists with conviction. Every false allegation made by the separatists must be answered. Every caustic remark must receive a fitting reply. Every separatist assault must be stopped.
If KCR, as promised, unleashes his bloodthirsty civil war machinery- a sneak preview of which we've already seen after December 9th- are the integrationists ready to defend themselves?
Tags: Andhra, kcr, kosta, nizam, rayalaseema, separatism, Telangana
Srikrishna Committee Submission
Many of you have asked for my submission to the Srikrishna Committee. I have collaborated with the APNRI organization to prepare the report. We have released the report to the public at an event organized in New Jersey.
Please click on the link below to view the report:
Main section: http://www.myteluguroots.com/PDF/APNRI_SKC_Main.pdf
Appendix: http://www.myteluguroots.com/PDF/APNRI_SKC_Appendix.pdf
I am also including the text of the press release that has been sent to the media organizations.
Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Indians Rejected Division of the State
Subject: Srikrishna Committee Submission Press Release
Date: April 18th, 2010
Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Indians, in their Srikrishna Committee submission have strenuously argued against division of the State. In an event organized to release the submission to the media organizations and public, NRIs presented compelling statistical evidence to debunk the myth of underdevelopment in the Telangana region. NRIs presented data from 1956 and 2008 on several economic sectors including education, irrigation, industries, employment, agriculture output, roads, and hospitals. In each of these sectors, they have compared development across all three regions and have argued that there is no evidence of deliberate discrimination.
APNRIs have said that Telangana was home to some of the greatest empires that united Telugu people. Members of the organization have expressed sadness with the way separatists are distorting the region's history and culture to fit their agenda of division.
The details of APNRI's Srikrishna Committee submission were released at a press meeting held on April 19, 2010 at Radisson Convention Center in Piscataway, New Jersey, USA. The event was attended by various Indian media outlets, including supporters for United Andhra Pradesh.
APNRI's submission to the Srikrishna Committee was structured into four main themes: a long legacy of Telugu people living together in harmony, analysis of the progress and economic development in the three regions of the state since 1956, impact of the current developments in Andhra Pradesh on non-resident Indians, and a strong case for why the state of Andhra Pradesh should not be divided.
APNRI Forum has been working with political and media establishments in Andhra Pradesh to promote the United Andhra Pradesh cause. As part of this effort, APNRI forum has been organizing "Meet the Leader" conference calls with the leaders and elected representatives of the State. Some of the prominent speakers that attended these calls were Sri Lagadapati Rajagopal, Sri Mandali Budhaprasad, Sri Jayaprakash Narayan, Sri, Thammineni Veerabadram, Sri Payyavula Kesav, and Sri B.V. Raghavulu.
Following its release of the Srikrishna Committee submission, APNRI is embarking on an aggressive campaign for preservation of the geographical integrity of the State of Andhra Pradesh. APNRI is planning to widely distribute its submission to media, public representatives, and general public. APNRI members are planning to meet the Srikrishna Committee to present their case in person. In addition, the organization is planning to engage the media organizations for a much broader coverage of the Samaikya Andhra Pradesh movement.
About APNRI (http://www.andhrapradeshnri.org ):
APNRI was formed by the non-resident Telugu Indians living in the United States and Canada. The organization is represented by the members from the Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, and Telangana regions. This is the national-level umbrella organization representing several state level organizations striving for a united Andhra Pradesh state.
The mission of the organization is to promote unity and harmony among Telugu people of all regions and to preserve the geographic integrity of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
APNRI submission can be obtained at: http://www.andhrapradeshnri.org/report.html
Tags: Andhra, ceded, chakravarthy, circar, kosta, nizam, rayalaseema, srikrishna committee, Telangana
Welcome to the Srikrishna Committee Submission Release Event
Tags: Andhra, ceded, chakravarthy, circar, kosta, nizam, rayalaseema, seema, srikrishna committee, Telangana
G.O. 610 and the Job Looters
Separatists have been telling their supporters that other regions have been looting lakhs of government jobs in violation of the Six Point Formula. During a recent interview with Jayaprakash Narayan, one of the caller to the program claimed that 3 lakh government jobs have been stolen from the Nizam region.
Before we go into the analysis, allow me to set-up the stage for those who are not up to speed on the Six Point Formula and GO-610.
Six Point Formula is the solution proposed by Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1973, in order to end the separatist movement in the Kosta-Seema regions in opposition to the mulki rules. Smt. Gandhi's solution was accepted by the leaders of all regions. As per this solution, the state was divided into 6 zones. Zone-I has Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts. Zone-II has East Godavari, West Godavari, and Krishna districts. Zone-III has Guntur, Prakasam, and Nellore districts. Zone-IV has Chittoor, Cuddapah, Ananthapur, and Kurnool districts. Zone-V has Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, and Khammam districts. Zone-VI has Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Nizamabad, Mahboobnagar, Medak, and Nalgonda districts.
In each zone 70% of non-gazetted, and 60% of gazetted posts were reserved for locals. In addition, 80% of class-IV posts were reserved to locals of the district. Certain exceptions were made to Hyderabad city for state level organizations allowing people from all regions to work in these offices.
Government Order 610 was issued in 1985 by the TDP government of Sri N.T. Ramarao, to correct the irregularities that have occurred in the implementation of the Six Point Formula.
When we examine the violations to the Six Point Formula they should be studied across all the zones for the sake of completeness. For example, if there are violations made in teacher postings, it is not correct to just look at violations in Zone V and Zone VI, but one should look at violations in all the zones.
With that background, now let us look at some of the violations that have occurred in government job appointments. I examined this issue by relying on publicly available sources. I chiefly relied on the Second Interim Report of the House Committee on G.O. 610 as well as the information available on the government website go610.ap.gov.in.
According to the House Committee report, the total number of employees in the State government and local bodies is 674,665. Of these employees, 583,026 come under the purview of Six Point Formula.
Let us look at violations in the Hyderabad City police appointments as well as violations in teacher appointments across the state. I chose these two categories as the data is available at the district level.
According to the presidential order on Six Point Formula, the police recruitment for Hyderabad city does not fall under the zonal system. Therefore, people from all regions have been recruited into city police. However, the House Committee recognized Hyderabad as a local zone and applied 80% local rule. As a result, it found that out of 4,722 police constables, 3,344 are non-locals. In the separatists' lingo these violators are popularly known as the "job looters".
So let us dig a little deeper to see who these looters are.
The House Committee report identified these violators by district. When these violations are aggregated by region, 1615 (50%) of the violators came from the Nizam region, 1212 (38%) came from the Kosta region, 395 (12%) of the violators came from the Rayalaseema region. In other words, the highest number of violators came from the Nizam region.
Now let us look at another set of violators. These are teacher posting violations that happened across the entire State. The government forcefully repatriated these people to their home districts and here is how the numbers look when aggregated by region.
About 2,600 teachers were found in violation of Six Point Formula, across the state. Below table gives the breakdown of these violators by region.
It may be a little confusing to interpret the matrix, so please allow me to paint the picture.
In the Nizam Telangana districts, a total 992 teachers, were found in violation of the Six Point Formula and have been repatriated to their home districts. Out of these 992 teachers, 541 violators came from the Nizam region itself. For example, in Nalgonda there were 71 teachers who were non-locals. Of these 71 teachers, 10 came from Warangal, 3 came from Karimnagar, 1 from Mahabubnagar, 1 from Adilabad, 8 from Hyderabad, 1 from Medak, 2 from Nizamabad, 13 from Khammam. The remaining violators came from Kosta and Seema. Overall, of the 992 violators in the Nizam region, 311 came from Kosta and 58 came from Rayalaseema.
Similarly there were 1100 violators in Kosta and 825 of them came from the Kosta districts. 110 violators came from the Nizam region and 147 from Rayalaseema.
Along the same lines, there were 345 repatriations in the Seema. Out of these, 193 violators came from Rayalaseema itself, while 112 came from Kosta and 27 from the Nizam region.
So, who are the worst victims of this nonsensical Six Point Formula, which plays the chief role of further exacerbating the differences among Telugu people? A majority of the victims come from their native regions and these forced repatriations make them feel like they are aliens in their own land.
So, what conclusions can we can draw from what we saw so far?
Yes, violations to the Six Point Formula have happened. However, these violations have happened across all the regions and a majority of these violators come from their native regions. Number of violations in the Nizam Telangana could possibly be a bit higher than the other two regions of the state. However, the extent of these violations is nowhere close to the mass hysteria that is being created by the separatists over government jobs. As usual, the separatist modus-operandi is to incite people by cherry-picking the violations that occurred in the Nizam Telangana region and conveniently forgetting to mention to their constituents that similar violations have occurred in the other regions too.
GO 610 House Committee Report
Data I extracted from the pdfs on the go610 government web-site
Six Point Formula
Section 18.1.9 of Girglani report said (scanned copy of the excerpt given below): "In the various representations to the government and in the Press a figure ranging 40,000 to 58,000 of non-locals working in zones V and VI is being given as those who are working in violation of Presidential Order. The statistical part of non-locals and locals has been examined by the Commission and it will be seen that the percentage of non-locals in the zones V and VI is negligible and far below the sealing of 20 percent. Therefore on statistical aspect there is no question of any action or implementation of the G.O."
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, employment, go 610, jobs, mulki, nalamotu, police, rayalaseema, teacher, Telangana, Telugu
TV9 Interview
Here is my conversation with TV9's Pratyusha. This discussion has occurred after the Pustaka Parichayam program that was broadcast on TV9 this weekend.
I am trying to get the video of Pustaka Parichayam program. If it is available on a public site, please pass it on to me as I would like to provide a response to Professor Manohar's allegations.
Here is the link to my conversation with Pratyusha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdjdS8Reh0
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, education, employment, irrigation, nalamotu, rayalaseema, Telangana, Telugu
Numbers do not support separatists' wild claims
I would like to present more statistics on the state of Nizam Telangana, Coastal Andhra, and Rayalaseema regions. The data does not include education and irrigation as I've already published this data on my web-site at http://www.myteluguroots.com/tables.html.
I am not going to provide detailed commentary on the data, as the tables are self-explanatory in nature.
Here is the gist:
In the categories of total workers, government hospitals, primary health centers, livestock, factory employment, power consumption, roads, school and degree education Nizam region performs better.
In the categories of number of beds in the government hospitals, number of vehicles it falls behind.
In the categories of total agriculture output, and poultry Nizam Telangana is comparable to the other regions.
Per-capita income is a good gauge to assess the economic well-being of a region. When summarized by region, Kosta per-capita income is Rs. 28,133, Nizam Telangana is Rs. 26,528, and Rayalaseema is Rs. 20,804. When Hyderabad and Rangareddi districts are excluded from Nizam Telangana, per-capita income drops to Rs. 24,168.
Based on per-capita income, clearly Nizam Telangana is behind Coastal Andhra and ahead of Rayalaseema. However, this difference is not enough to justify the kind of wild and inflammatory exaggerations being made by the separatists to further their agenda of hate. The backwardness of the Nizam Telangana region can be partly attributed to the feudal rule under Nizam. If one were to look at the absolute growth, Nizam Telangana region has grown more than the other two regions, since the state formation.
But here is a more important observation. Separatists mislead their supporters claiming that "self-rule" will change the face of the Nizam Telangana region. Ironically, Rayalaseema, from where 7 of the 15 chief ministers of our state hailed from, continues to be the most backward of the three regions.
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, education, employment, livestock, nalamotu, poultry, power, rayalaseema, roads, Telangana, Telugu
Complete Interview with Professor Mohan Venigalla
Earlier I posted only Part-1 of my interview with Professor Venigalla. Now, all three parts of the interview are available on his web-site.
This is an inspirational and informative interview for all Telugu people who believe in our unity.
Please listen to the interview and share it with your friends and family.
As always, I am grateful to you for your support for this monumental cause.
http://www.teluglobe.com/podcasts/mm-gaanalahari/mmgl-interviews/who-are-we-as-telugu-people-nalamotu-chakravarthy-1-of-3
Tags: Andhra, chakravarthy, education, nalamotu, rayalaseema, Telangana, Telugu
Nizam Telangana State Demand is NOT Over 50 Years Old
Separatist leaders and intellectuals often claim that people's desire for a separate Nizam Telangana state is over 50 years. These claims being made by the separatists are untrue. To the contrary, it is the vast majority of Telugu people's desire for Vishalandhra that is over 50 years old.
The movement for a Telugu state started in 1903-04 with the formation of Young Men's Literary Association in Guntur. This association developed a map of Andhradesa that included Telugu-speaking provinces of Madras Presidency, Central Provinces, Nizam dominions, and the Mysore state.
In 1912, when Congress Party leaders held their 21st Krishna-Guntur district conference, members of the literary association proposed: "…to agitate first for the formation of a province for the Andhras comprising the coastal and Ceded districts and that later they could add the five contiguous eastern Telugu districts in the Nizam's dominions and the Telugu-speaking areas in the Central Provinces."
As a result of these efforts, the "Father of the Andhra Movement" Sri Konda Venkatapayya undertook the task of leading the movement for a separate state. Andhra Mahasabha was born as a result of these grassroots efforts. The organization held its first meeting in Bapatla in 1913. In addition to 2000 visitors, 800 delegates from Kosta, Seema, Nagpur, Warangal, and Hyderabad attended the conference.
The struggle for a Telugu state went on for a couple of decades. The organization was able to convince Gandhiji to agree in principle to the formation of a Telugu state. They even sent delegations to London to make a case for Telugu province.
In March 1936, on Ugadi, Vishalandhra proponents carried a map of Andhrarashtramu in a procession through the streets of Bezawada. The map consisted of the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras presidency, Orissa, Mysore, and Hyderabad. Hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the Krishna River and took a pledge to achieve an Andhra province.
Sataavadhaanulu Srinivasa Sodarulu compiled a book titled "Andhra Raashtramu" in 1940. Given below are a couple of poems from 1940, 16 years before a united Telugu state formed. The writers' affinity for Telugus living in all the regions, including the Madras presidency, Hyderabad state, and Orissa, becomes clear from these poems.
After India achieved independence there was intense lobbying by Telugus for an Andhra state. Government appointed Dar commission to sort out the issue and it recommended against linguistic provinces.
On August 15, 1949, Father of the Andhra Movement, Konda Venkatapayya died without realizing his dream for a Telugu state.
Then the JVP committee was formed- made up of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel, and Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya. These efforts failed too, as the issue of Madras became contentious. Telugus claimed their right to Madras city as it historically belonged to them and the region was given to the British by the erstwhile Vijayanagara kings who ruled from Chandragiri after the empire's downfall.
In January 1950, APCC general body met at Madras and passed a resolution demanding Madras be the temporary capital of Andhra province and upon creation of Vishalandhra, Hyderabad become the permanent capital.
Swami Sitaram, a Congress Party worker who became a Saadhu, took up the cause that Venkatapayya fought for decades. He started his fast unto death on August 16, 1951. 35 days into Swami Sitaram's fast, Vinoba Bhave intervened and convinced Sitaram to give up his fast and promised to reason with Nehru. However, Bhave failed to impress upon Nehru for the formation of a Telugu state.
Potti Sriramulu consulted Swami Sitaram and obtained permission to start his fast until death. After 57 days of fasting Potti Sriramulu passed away. Following Amarajeevi's death there was widespread violence and Nehru agreed to the formation of the Andhra state. Telugus' claim to Madras was denied by Nehru, given Rajaji's intense lobbying.
Telangana separatists often cite an article written by Sri M. Narayan Reddy, former M.P. from Nizamabad where he referenced Potti Sriramulu's letters about the status of Madras and claims that Potti Sriramulu fast was just to win Madras for Telugus.
Yes, Madras was a contentious issue at that time. However, Sri Narayan Reddy looked through a narrow prism to reach his conclusions. He ignored 50 years of Telugus' struggles for a state, which culminated in the death of Potti Sriramulu.
Now, let's switch gears and quickly look at Nizam Telangana.
Peasants of Nizam Telangana rose up against the feudal system and shook up the foundation of the Hyderabad state. Following Police Action initiated by the Indian government, Hyderabad state became free of Nizam's atrocious rule.
Nehru publicly expressed disinterest for Vishalandhra accusing Telugus of having imperialistic tendencies. He appointed Fazal Ali commission to make a recommendation on the future of Hyderabad state's constitution. As expected, Fazal Ali toed Nehru's line and recommended keeping Nizam Telangana region as a separate state for 5 years.
The elected representatives of the Nizam Telangana region rose up against the irrational recommendation made by Fazal Ali. Legislators of the Hyderabad state met and debated the issue for a week in the Assembly. Under the leadership of Burugula Ramakrishna Rao, they discussed a resolution favoring the creation of Vishalandhra. Out of 174 representatives in the Assembly, 103 favored Vishalandhra, 29 favored a Telangana state, whereas 15 remained neutral. If one just takes people's representatives from the Nizam Telangana region, 59 favored Vishalandhra, whereas 25 favored Telangana, and 1 remained neutral.
Clearly, there is overwhelming evidence that Telugus across Nizam, Kosta, and Seema wanted to be part of Andhra Pradesh. This desire existed ever since the Young Men's Literary Association was formed in A.D. 1904. At the time of the formation of Andhra Pradesh state an overwhelming 70% of the people's representatives from Nizam Telangana supported Vishalandhra.
So, how can the separatists claim that Telugu people from the Nizam region wanted a separate state for over 50 years?
Save Andhra Pradesh, Sunday August 4th 2:00PM, Tankbund Pothana Statue 1,391 comments
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Never Forget – Never Forgive
Today, I let some of my friends down
కాంగ్రెస్, భా.జ.పా లకు రాజకీయ పుట్టగతులు లేకుండా చెయ్యండి
We are Victims of the Union Government
Congratulations to TRS & KCR
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Home News Brewing up a campaign
Brewing up a campaign
Joe DiProsperos
Gross at the official launch of his campaign. | Photo courtesy of Will Gross
The owner of a South Philly-based coffee company is looking to earn his spot in Harrisburg in the upcoming 2022 elections.
Will Gross, the owner of OX Coffee, launched his campaign for state representative in the 182nd District, which stretches across Center City through the 2nd, 5th and 8th wards, on Sunday, Dec. 15. He made the announcement at his coffee shop in Queen Village.
Gross, who has served as a Democratic committeeperson in the 2nd Ward since 2018, expressed his eagerness to fight for policies that he believes will help uplift families and businesses that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Increasing wages, expanding access to healthcare and affordable housing as well as improving school conditions, he thinks, are the keys to that.
"It's about the idea of strengthening the community," Gross said. "These are certain things that I think can push towards real progress."
It's a community that's deeply rooted in Gross's lineage. Gross's father was a longtime Philly native and his mother immigrated from Taiwan to the city in the early 1970s. The family had owned numerous small businesses over the years, including a jewelry store on Jewelers' Row and a furniture store in Manayunk that was in operation for over two decades.
Though the elder Gross later relocated the family to Vermont when Will was 5, he later returned to his hometown to attend Drexel University.
Upon graduating in 2005, Gross made his way to New York, where he first got involved in the coffee business as a barista. He later became a full-time roaster and trained other baristas at various coffee shops throughout New York City.
But after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in 2012 and destroyed the roastery he was working at in Brooklyn, Gross made his way back to Philly for a fresh start. Returning to his roots, to him, was the right decision to make for his future.
"Philly, to me, is the place where you can come and follow a dream," Gross said. "You can't do that everywhere."
Gross, along with his friend and business partner Max Cudworth, founded OX Coffee in 2013. Over the years, it has expanded to offer wholesale accounts throughout the city, many of them in the South Philly area.
Through his time as the owner of OX, Gross said he started to feel an urge to play a bigger role in the neighborhood.
"I saw a community forming at OX, and I saw that meant more to me than just being friends with folks," Gross said. "That's great and that's the basis of it, but what else is there? How are we helping?"
Politics were entrenched in Gross at an early age. Having grown up in what he remembered as a "politically charged" household, he recalled his father raising him on the ideas and visions of notable figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
"There was always this feeling of not just living life for yourself, but what you can do for other people," Gross said. "How can you help, what are you doing to help, and what are you doing to make things better?"
Those values became driving forces behind him running for committeeperson in 2018. Since being elected, Gross has taken on leadership roles, including serving as chairman of the fundraising committee. His wife, Lindsey, has also been active in the community, serving as the VP of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Union.
For his part, Gross has done what he can to act on the policies he is campaigning on. At OX, he implemented a $15-per-hour wage for all of his employees, something he called a "moral obligation" in an op-ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer. To Gross, the state's $7.25-per-hour minimum wage is not nearly sufficient enough.
"In the state of Pennsylvania, it doesn't matter where you live, that's not going to cut it," Gross said. "I don't know anybody that wants to pay $7.25, but maybe that's all they can pay. We have to figure out how we can help small businesses get to the spot where they're paying someone a wage that they can go home and live a life with."
Gross strongly believes his firsthand experiences as a small-business owner can assist him in his push for the things that will help those who still are feeling the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
But above all, Gross is confident that he can advocate for the kind of change that can restore some semblance of faith in government.
"My dad always likes to say, 'The role of government is to do what otherwise would not be done,' " Gross said. "I've seen how government can help in a real way. I've seen that it can work. If I plug myself into that, with that experience, I think we can generate some progress."
OX Coffee
Will Gross
Joe DiProsperos is a reporter for the South Philly Review and the Star News. Follow him on Twitter @JoeyD_6 or email at jdiprosperos@newspapermediagroup.com
Theatre Exile to highlight local playwrights through development program

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl