TELENGANA: NAXALITES NEW HAVEN
By T S Rao
Currently India is grappling with internal security threats from Naxalites/ Maoists, in more than eight states. While an exercise is on to confront this new threat, two Union Cabinet Ministers, Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao (Labour) and Mr. Narendra (Rural Development) are trying to oppose any action against Naxalites. They even took the extraordinary step of going and meeting some of the front men of Naxalites arrested by the police in Hyderabad.
What is interesting in this development is that both the Union Cabinet Ministers belong to Andhra Pradesh; and both are spearheading an agitation for carving out a separate Telengana State, from within the existing state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Many observers in the state capital Hyderabad point out that Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) to which both the Cabinet Ministers belong, acquired a stature only after Naxalites, predominant in Telengana region, made TRS as their political front organization.
TRS joined hands with Congress in 2004 Parliament / State Assembly elections on the assumption that if Congress wins Assembly / Parliament elections, a separate Telengana State will be formed. Some observers feel that the Naxalites prodded TRS to align itself with Congress, hoping that if a separate Telengana state is created it will provide safe havens for them.
All these calculations went wrong after the elections. The United Progressive Alliance leadership, both at the centre and in AP, realized that the sentiment among majority of the Telugu-speaking people is against division of the state. Many even feared that such division might trigger off a chain reaction among other states in the otherwise stable southern region.
A new dimension was added with the Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh aligning themselves with other Naxalite groups in other provinces and forming Communist Party of India (Maoists). This created a new dimension to internal security problem at the national level.
The Andhra Pradesh governments efforts to open a dialogue early this year made no headway, as the Naxalites refused to lay down arms under any circumstances. The failed Naxalite-government talks accompanied by increased violence by the Naxalites resulted in the police stepping in to enforce law and order.
A prominent Naxalite leader, by the name Riyaz who participated in the talks, was killed in a police encounter in July this year. This rang alarm bells among the Naxalite leadership. They asked the TRS elected representatives to resign from the State cabinet and various Panchayats. What surprised every one is TRS faithfully complied with it.
For the Congress, TRS distancing itself from it in the Assembly did not make any dent as it enjoyed absolute majority in the State Assembly.
The TRS followed it up by two other actions. Suddenly the demand for separate Telengana became voice ferrous. Both Rao and Narendra started giving statements accusing the state Chief Minister Dr. Rajasekhar Reddy for marginalizing the aspirations and ambitions of Telengana people. This tirade is going on for the past six months. To establish an identity to the latest Telengana movement, the TRS established their Head Quarters at Hyderabad.
A new outfit called Telengana Jagarana Sena (Telengana Awakening soldiers) was created by TRS leadership, followed in public view, in Warrangal, five hundred cadres were given two days training in martial arts and some fiery speeches were made both by Narendra and Rao against the Andhra Chief Minister.
While this is on by TRS, Naxalites issued a stern warning on September 7, to the Telengana people to defeat the Congress and Telugu Desam Party, the main opposition in the State Assembly in the September Municipal elections. It is a different matter that TRS was virtually wiped out in the elections.
The immediate question that arises is. Why now this demand for separate Telengana state? This is not the first time a demand for separate state for Telengana is raised. Late Dr. Chenna Reddy, one of the doyens of Indian politics, launched the first Telengana agitation in late 1960s and early 1970s. In no time he realized that the nine districts of former Nizam of Hyderabad state now known as Telengana that merged with Andhra Pradesh couldnt form a separate state for various reasons including national security concerns. He, therefore, quietly accepted the offers made by the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi to defuse the situation.
For the next two decades no one thought of a separate Telengana state. The region is undergoing a subtle but definite socio economic change; uprooting traditional power bases. This started a socio-political rift between various political groups.
The demand for a separate Telengana state was suddenly revived in 2003 albeit by Naxalities, as the TDP government started an intensive campaign against them. The demand for separate Telengana state is echoed in the familiar tones, like under development of the region as compared to the other two regions, coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions in the state.
The TRS aligning itself with Congress in 2004 Parliament / Assembly elections gave the Telengana movement certain amount of momentum.
After the elections, Congress decided to bypass the TRS leadership and decided to deal with Naxalities directly; and find a way out. The Naxalites in a victorious mood, having defeated the ruling Telugu Desam Party, were in no mood to follow the basic ground rules in such talks.
On the Congress led Rajasekhar Reddy government, thinking that TRS can act as a pressure point the Naxalities thought they can make TRS to exercise pressure. The Naxalities calculations went wrong. The miniscule TRS is in no position to exert any visible pressure either on the state government or on the centre.
Being small town politicians, both Rao and Narendra adopted a confrontationist attitude against the State level Congress leadership thinking this Congress is dependent on them only in Telengana region. When TRS Ministers resigned from the State cabinet in July this year, there was not even a whimper around in Hyderabad. The other parties like National Congress Party of Sharad Pawar, who made some overtures in July this year, quickly disassociated themselves seeing TRS sympathies with Naxalites.
In this drama TRS and Naxalites were identified with each other. This nexus resulted in TRS getting defeated totally in Municipal elections. Like good politicians, the TRS flock is now talking in terms of getting back to Congress.
This means Naxalities clout is extremely limited even in Telengana. This was amply demonstrated by the thumping success of Congress even in Telengana region. In the emerging new order in Andhra Pradesh Naxalities lost their initiative and may even find hard to fight Congress either directly or through proxies like TRS. -CNF