A numbers game for three regions

It is all about statistics with the Centre explicitly announcing that there would be no bypassing of the Justice Srikrishna Committee to decide on the state bifurcation and protagonists of Telangana as well as united Andhra Pradesh busy collecting data to back their arguments.

The state, though yet to make an official declaration, is said to have asked Planning Department to prepare data on various issues including income from and expenditure on every district.

In fact, the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, sought to know the region-wise impact of the budget, the finance officials explained to him that such data would not be gathered while preparing the budget.

The Telangana protagonists will highlight violation of the Presidential Order in education and employment, failure to implement 610 GO, discrepancies in creating assured irrigation by constructing projects over a period of time.

On the other hand, those who voice for united state wanted the government to give white paper on expenditure on each region and its proportion to the revenue generated in each district. “There is not truth in their (T protagonists) claim that their resources were plundered. It is other way round,” says Mr V. Arunkumar, Rajahmundry MP.

But, the Justice Srikrishna Commission will once again put the focus on the Congress and the Telugu Desam vis-a-vis the stand they take when appearing before the jury.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) already gave a call to boycott the committee but the main political players in the region the Congress and the Telugu Desam continued their dual standards.

While leaders of these parties hailing from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions welcomed committee, those from Telangana are nagging about the time frame or lack of some clarity in the terms of reference.

Telangana, a cut above Seemaandhra

The struggle for separate Telangana, revived by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a decade ago, is yet to reach its logical conclusion but definitely helped substantial flow of funds which in turn developed the region.

The state economic survey 2009-2010, presented to the Assembly by the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, along with the budget on Saturday, revealed that the two key factors of development — gross district domestic product (GDDP) and per capita income — in several T districts are higher than their counter parts in Andhra and Rayalaseema.

The pace of growth in the last few years in Telangana districts is also quick while backward districts like Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Prakasam and Anantapur continue to grow at normal pace due to lack of focus. Interestingly, there is negative growth in East and West Godavari districts, which are considered to be the rice bowl of the state.

The survey reveals that as many as six districts in Andhra and Rayalaseema put together and four in Telangana achieved more than the average GDDP of Rs 14,000 crore. In case of average per capita income of Rs 16,800 also, the number of districts registering excess in both regions is same.

“The successive Chief Ministers perhaps for political compulsions have been projecting that Telangana continues to be a backward region and that they are developing it with great attention,” pointed out a state government adviser.

Maintaining that there was injustice with regard to employment in Telangana, the adviser said concentration of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and channelising industrial investments of both manufacturing and IT in the capital city helped development of industrial clusters in the neighbouring districts.

The economic survey indicated that the per capita income in Medak was Rs 42,052 and in Ranga Reddy was Rs 43,400, which is higher than all the districts in Andhra and Rayalaseema, except Visakhapatnam and Kadapa.

What makes more interesting is that the per capita income in Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad and Nalgonda, which are considered to be backward in Telangana, registered a growth of 77 per cent, 61 per cent, 59 per cent and 72 per cent respectively over four years. This was against 29 per cent of East Godavari, 31 per cent of West Godavari, 49 per cent of Krishna and 33 per cent in Guntur. These four coastal districts are considered to be well developed in the state other than Hyderabad.

But, the growth in per capita income in four backward districts of Prakasam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Anantapur did not cross 40 per cent and the volume of GDDP grew below 50 per cent in these districts.

On the other hand, the volume of GDDP grew by 80 per cent in Mahbubnagar, 65 per cent in Nizamabad, 66 per cent in Adilabad and 77 per cent in Nalgonda against 33 per cent in East Godavari, 34 per cent in West Godavari, 55 per cent in Krishna and 37 per cent in Guntur.

“We have been arguing that Telangana protagonists should no more claim separation because they are backward,” said whip Dr Sailajanath, who hails from Rayalaseema. He argued that the government had been spending nearly half of funds allocated for irrigation to 10 Telangana districts and rest among 13 others in the state. For instance, Telangana projects will get Rs 7,000 cr out of the budgetary allocation of Rs 15,000 cr. But, the survey also exposed the neglect of Telangana over a period of time which was reflected in the low literacy levels. The economic survey says according to last census Telangana districts except Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy failed to achieve the state average literacy rate of 60.47. There are seven out of 13 districts in Rayalaseema and Andhra which crossed the state average.

“Even the irrigation facilities are grossly neglected. The Girglani commission and subsequently the House committee on 610 GO exposed the discrepancies in implementing the reservation for locals rule in government employment,” says senior TRS leader Mr T. Harish Rao.

According to the T protagonists, the increase in the area cultivated under borewells in Telangana indeed is a sign of neglecting assured water facility through irrigation projects in the region. In the rise of number of educational institutions in the region also Mr Harish Rao sees big corporates from Andhra swallowing the local educationists, though Majlis leader Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi recently thanked these managements on the floor of the House for imparting quality education to thousands of Muslims in Telangana, particularly in Old City.

Committee on Telangana a farce: Venkaiah

Describing as “farce” the Justice Srikrishna Committee set up by the Centre to resolve the Telangana issue, senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that it does not serve any purpose and was a waste of public money.

“The Committee has no any statutory sanctity. It is a farce and is a sheer waste of time and resources, and a futile exercise,” Mr. Naidu told reporters here.

Questioning the Congress, which returned to power in the state in 2004, on its Telangana promise, Mr. Naidu asked, “What happened to the earlier committee -- headed by Pranab Mukherjee --Constituted to look into the demand for Telangana state?.”

“Committees can’t decide the future of the state and there should be a political solution to this burning issue,” he said.

When asked whether BJP would extend support to the Committee, scheduled to visit next month to hold consultations with various parties and organisations on the issue, the senior leader shot back saying “what purpose would it serve?”

Mr. Naidu said his party’s stand is very clear and it is in favour of separate statehood for Telangana region and wanted to know whether the Centre will actually implement the recommendations of the Committee.

The UPA Government has constituted a five-member Committee led by Justice B. N. Srikrishna to examine demand for a separate state of Telangana and as well as the demand to keep Andhra Pradesh united.

Supreme Court hearing on ToR of Srikrishna panel on April 5

The Supreme Court on Monday posted for hearing on April 5 a public interest petition for a direction to the Centre to modify the terms of reference (ToR) of the Justice Srikrishna Committee to incorporate the basis for reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh, either linguistic or administrative convenience. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Deepak Verma and Justice B.S. Chauhan fixed the date of hearing after brief submissions from senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for petitioners, K. Srinivas Reddy, Vasireddy Venkata Krishna Rao and K. Pushpalatha.

Students break barricades to reach Assembly, 2km around Assembly closed for traffic movement

Students of the Chalo Assembly rally are successfully breaking the barricades laid all over the city. Police have stopped all traffic about 2km around the Legislative Assembly.

Apparently students are trying to bribe the policemen to let them proceed. At the Osmania University campus, forces are trying hard to rein in the students.

About 40,000 people are reported to have reached Hyderabad for the rally. A total of 20,000 police personnel have been deployed all over town, anticipating anti-social elements in the Chalo Assembly rally.

Flyovers have been blocked and a heavy police bandobast is preventing traffic from moving freely. An aerial survey is also going on over the Assembly.

OU VC’s car stoned: Tension escalates on OU campus

Students hurled stones on the car of the Osmania University Vice-Chancellor Prof. T. Tirupathi Rao, damaging the windscreen, even as they raced towards the NCC gate on Western side.

A large group of students were jostling with policemen at the gate disregarding the repeated announcements of policemen to disperse peacefully.

Similar attempts to break through the police cordons and march to the Assembly were foiled at City College in old city, Nizam College near Basheerbagh.

PTI Adds

Intensifying their agitation for a separate Telangana state, hundreds of students defied a police warning and took out a march to the state Assembly even as some activists pelted stones at the car of Osmania University Vice Chancellor here today.

Ahead of the budget presentation in the Assembly, students took out a rally from the OU campus to lay siege to the Assembly demanding resignations of all elected representatives of the region to press for a separate Telangana state.

The call was given by the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee and Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee.

However, the police, which declared the rally as “illegal”, prevented the students on Shivam Road near Vidyanagar after which they indulged in heated arguments with the police personnel.

In another incident, pro-Telangana activists pelted stones at OU Vice—Chancellor T Tirupati Rao’s car in the campus damaging its window panes. Rao was not in the vehicle.

The OU campus has been the nerve centre of the agitation for a separate Telangana state and has witnessed a series of violent incidents with students and police clashing against each other.

Over 20,000 police forces including several battalions of Rapid Action Force and Andhra Pradesh Special Police are keeping a close vigil on the roads leading to the Assembly in view of the students’ rally.

BJP leader says he was not made ‘scapegoat’

BJP leader Y. Lakshminarayana, who resigned from Assembly in protest against the “unfavourable terms of reference” of Srikrishna Committee, feels he had not become a “scapegoat” and said that his decision was being hailed by people from all over Nizamabad district.

In a giant killing act in the 2009 elections, Lakshminarayana trounced APCC president D. Srinivas in Nizamabad Urban constituency and made his maiden entry into the Assembly. With the acceptance of his resignation by Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, BJP is now left with only one MLA, G. Kishan Reddy. Although Mr. Reddy announced that he too would resign, he did not submit his resignation letter.

“Though I resigned from the Assembly, I earned a permanent place in the people’s hearts. I honoured the word I gave to the people that I am ready to sacrifice (my seat). I am feeling happy as people are with me and I am with people,” he said.

While it was necessary to inform the BJP floor leader before resigning, Mr. Lakshminarayana said he could not contact Mr. Kishan Reddy when he had submitted his resignation as the latter was not in town at that time. He went ahead and gave his letter in accordance with the decision taken by the party earlier.

It is learnt that at the recent meeting of State BJP office-bearers, a few leaders opposed the decision to make the MLAs resign, while a majority wanted them to quit. The party’s national spokesperson and in-charge AP affairs, Prakash Javdekar, while advising the MLAs to act in accordance with the decision of JAC, wanted them to wait and watch the moves of both the Congress and Telugu Desam. Mr. Lakshminarayana faulted the Congress and TDP legislators for not submitting their resignations. “They claimed that they were ready for any sacrifice but have gone back on their word when the time has come. People won’t accept it.”

Mr.Kishan Reddy, who is in Indore attending the party’s national executive, could not be contacted.

14 MLAs from Telangana resign

Fourteen MLAs from the Telangana region handed over their resignation letters to Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy here on Sunday on a call by the all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) to protest against the terms of reference of the Srikrishna committee.

All 10 MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, two of the Congress and one each of the BJP and the Praja Rajyam Party handed over their letters. Two other Congress MLAs who on Saturday announced their decision to quit backed out, but the former Minister, R. Damodar Reddy, said they would follow suit very soon.

In prescribed format

After submitting his resignation, Mr. Reddy told journalists that this time the MLAs took care that the letters were in the prescribed format.

Last time, the Speaker rejected the letters on the ground that they were not in the prescribed format. All the MLAs insisted with the Speaker that he accept their resignation when he sought their views individually, Mr. Reddy said.

A TDP member C. Ramesh, whose resignation was pending, also met the Speaker to press his case.

JAC call to ‘boycott’ goods, services

The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Sunday gave a call for ‘boycott’ of goods and services of the ‘propertied class’ which is opposed to the creation of separate Telangana. The JAC set a deadline for all elected representatives from village-level ward members to MPs to resign by Monday evening, failing which a programme to beat drums while putting them on alert would be taken up in villages the next day.

The JAC which announced the decisions after a meeting of its district units here, also resolved to give representations to MLAs and other elected representatives to resign between February 17 and 20.

Telangana: 15 MLAs submit resignations

Rejecting the terms of reference of the Srikrishna Committee appointed to go into the issue of separate statehood, 15 MLAs from the Telangana region, including those of the ruling Congress, on Sunday submitted their resignations to Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker.

The MLAs — 10 from TRS, two from Congress, one each from BJP and TDP and Praja Rajyam — met Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy here and submitted their resignations.

The legislators said they resigned in order to mount pressure on the Centre to take immediate steps for the formation of a separate state.

“We gave our resignation unconditionally. He (Speaker) called us individually. We stressed on accepting our resignation. We hope many others would resign by Sunday evening or on Monday,” senior Congress MLA R. Damodar Reddy told reporters.

Though two more Congress MLAs had announced their decision to quit on Saturday night, they, however, did not turn up on Sunday.

Asked if they would attend the budget session of assembly beginning on Monday, Mr. Reddy replied in the negative.

TRS MLA and party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K.T. Rama Rao said his party would now go to the people and work relentlessly for realising the goal of a separate Telangana.

TRS asks its MLAs, MPs to resign

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decided that all its MLAs and MPs will forthwith resign to protest against the terms of reference (ToR) of Justice B.N.Srikrishna Committee announced by the Centre on Friday. The party has termed the ToR as completely against the interests of Telangana.

The decision was announced here on Friday by TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao after holding consultations with party legislators and other senior leaders. The TRS has two MPs, ten MLAs and one MLC.

Mr. Rao directed all the MLAs who were out of Hyderabad to reach the city by evening. They would draft their resignation letters in the prescribed format and hand them over to Speaker to ensure that they were accepted this time.

Addressing a press conference along with other leaders like E. Rajender, Madhusudhana Chary, A. Chandrasekhar, T. Harish Rao, Vijayashanti and others he said: "The ToR have completely deceived the people of Telangana and amount to their betrayal once again. They are not in favour of Telangana formation and the Centre’s attitude is highly condemnable", he said.

Mr. Rao said one of the terms which states that the Srikrishna Committee would go into the issue of statehood for Telangana as well as continuation of united Andhra Pradesh was reprehensible. "Where is the question of looking into united Andhra Pradesh when it already exists now", he added.

"There is only one movement and it’s Telangana. There is no movement for united AP but only a counter agitation orchestrated by vested interests of Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema leaders", the TRS chief remarked. Driving his point home further he mentioned that when a committee was set up to divide Andhra from Madras State only the opinion of Andhra people was taken and the report was given in a month’s time.

The TRS president said his party had a single point agenda of separate Telangana. Being an independent identity, it was entitled to take a decision of its own without awaiting the outcome of the consultations between the constituents of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), he added.

Congress discusses Srikrishna panel terms

The Congress core committee, headed by party president Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday discussed the proposed terms of reference of the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee, set up to go into the Telangana issue.

Sources said it would take a few more days for the announcement as the matter had to be discussed by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.

Meanwhile, Congress Working Committee member K. Keshava Rao welcomed the party decision to appoint a coordination committee, headed by M. Veerappa Moily, in charge of Andhra Pradesh, and said the panel was a balanced one with representation to all regions. There need be no apprehension on this. “No one has the right to challenge the appointment of this committee,” Mr. Rao said, denying that he had commented against it anytime.