<<–2/”>a href=”https://exam.pscnotes.com/5653-2/”>p>A.I.M.I.M
While Hyderabad has been the stage for the enactment of the various episodes of State Politics in Andhra Pradesh, its own politics has a distinctive flavour. This is in part, brought about by the presence of a large Muslim community which constitutes over 40% of the citys Population and an important minority constituency in Andhra Pradesh politics. The AIMIM built its political platform on this demographic base. While AIMIM went through a low phase after the accession, it was revived in the 1950s under the Leadership of Abdul Wahid Owaisi, a Hyderabad-based Muslim lawyer. Owaisi positioned AIMIM as a political party within the Constitutional framework and addressed the problems of the Muslim middle class, which lost its jagirs or jobs in independent India due to various reforms. AIMIM contested the municipal Elections in Hyderabad in 1958 to win 18 seats and later won three seats in assembly elections. It also made its presence felt in national politics by championing Muslim interests. This was further consolidated by their win in Lok Sabha elections in 1984. Presently, AIMIM is the main political party and dominant representative of the Muslim community in Hyderabad city with a Member of Parliament and seven Members in the State Legislative Assembly.
In their detailed memorandum submitted to the Committee and during an extensive meeting held with the Committee, the President and the senior office bearers of AIMIM strongly advocated the cause of united Andhra Pradesh underlining that it was in the best interest of not only the states economic Growth, but also the well-being of the minority Muslim community. Although the influence of the party is generally limited to the city of Hyderabad, it does have district offices spread all over the state. The delegation also voiced the opinion that in case the Committee recommends division of the state then it would be in the interest of the minority community to form a new state combining the Telangana and Rayalaseema regions into Rayala-Telangana state. If, however, neither of the above two desirable Options are found feasible and formation of Telangana (without Rayalaseema) becomes inevitable, then Hyderabad should be part of Telangana and should not be given any other status.
The argument of creating Rayala-Telangana is possibly based on the demographic composition of Rayalaseema. It has over 12% Muslim population, as compared to just above 8% in the rest of Telangana and the MIM may believe that it will be able to extend its influence beyond the city of Hyderabad in a Rayala-Telangana state. Their apprehension about its weakening force in the event of a Telangana is foreboded by its performance in the recent municipal elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
The expansion of GHMC has led to a sharp decline in vote share for MIM from 29% to 14% and an equivalent increase for the TDP and also the Congress. However, despite this drop, it was able to prevent this loss in vote share from being fully reflected in the number of seats and was actually able to increase its tally of seats and is currently a partner in the GHMC administration. It has been able to achieve this feat because of the geographical concentration of support in Hyderabad in a limited area around the old city. The support for Congress and TDP is alternatively more geographically balanced.
T.D.P.
The TDPs rule, first under NTR and later by Shri N Chandrababu Naidu, was marked by two key transformations in the landscape of Hyderabad: first, NTR, riding on Telugu pride and identity turned the city into a cultural centre for Telugu speaking people by creating several institutions and cultural symbols celebrating Telugu language, culture and heritage. It was also during this time that several successful entrepreneurs from other regions migrated to Hyderabad. NTR also completed shifting of Telugu film Industry from Chennai to Hyderabad, which brought many artists, technicians and investors to the city. Second, Naidu, who became Chief Minister in September 1995, replacing his father-in-law, NTR, aspired to make Hyderabad a world city, by making it an alternative destination to Bangalore for IT and ITES industry. Naidu also won the next election in 1999, thus becoming the longest serving Chief Minister of the state until TDP lost the assembly elections in 2004 to bring back Congress into power with Shri Y S Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR) as the Chief Minister.
Concurrent with Naidus second term, there was another force in the making within the TDP in the form of a separatist movement for Telangana. The second mandate to Naidu came along with the formation of NDAs tenure at the centre, leading to the creation of the separate states of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand), Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in 2000. In a reprise of events in the Congress in 1969, it was now the turn of a dissident TDP leader from Telangana, Shri K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) to form a separate political outfit, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in 2001 with the aim of achieving a separate Telangana state, a development that has led to the current situation in Andhra Pradesh.
BJP
The BJP, in its national executive meeting at Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) in 1997, had passed a resolution supporting a separate state for Telangana. Accordingly, in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, BJP gave the slogan One Vote, Two States. It received more votes in the Telangana region. Taking advantage of this position, TDP, which, by then, had started implementing the new economic reform programme of the Centre and had to leave its electoral alliance with the left, made BJP its ally in 1999 Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections. Both parties gained through this alliance. BJP won seven out of the eight Lok Sabha seats it contested while TDP won 29 Lok Sabha seats. In the State Assembly elections, TDP won 179 seats and formed the Government. In the meantime, driven by the situation prevailing in the state, MLAs of the Congress from Telangana region had also started a regional forum called Telangana Congress Legislators Forum (TCLF) with the Consent of the state leadership. In the panchayat election in Telangana region, the slogan of TCLF was Jai Congress, Jai Telangana. In addition, in the panchayat elections campaign, other general issues such as strengthening of the Panchayati Raj bodies with more power to these bodies in terms of funds, functions and functionaries were also highlighted. Thus the year 2001 marked the beginning of the demand for separate Telangana once again.
The BJP, though having not been able to resolve the Telangana issue during the NDA regime up to 2004, continued to maintain the earlier stand that their policy was for smaller states and if they won the forthcoming elections (Lok Sabha and Assembly), they would be in a position to create Telangana. In the meanwhile, the Congress ruled State Government constituted a Joint Committee of Legislators under the Chairmanship of the then Finance Minister, Shri K. Rosaiah, on Telangana related issues. However, some of the opposition parties such as BJP, CPI(M), CPI and TRS replied that they did not wish to be associated with the said Committee. The TDP also did not respond to the Governments request. The Committee was thus formed, having seven legislators from the Congress Party representing all the three regions and one from AIMIM. With major parties not co-operating and the events taking an entirely different turn by the year end (covered in the subsequent para) the Committee could not move too much forward on its Terms of Reference.
Congress
The central leadership of the Indian National Congress decided that the issue of unified larger Telugu state deserved further examination since the views on the same were somewhat divided. As such, a sub-committee for this purpose was appointed by the Congress Party. The Government of India, therefore, while accepting other SRC recommendations, kept aside the decision on this particular issue. Both Andhra and Hyderabad states were ruled by the Congress Party at that time. (The two visits by some members of the subcommittee, headed by the then Congress President, U.N. Dhebar, and including luminaries such as Pt. Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, K.N. Katju and others in December 1955 and January 1956 to Hyderabad state, led to the final decision of the trifurcation of the state, but the sub-committee could not decide with regard to the status of the Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad State). The national leadership of the Congress Party was divided on the question of merging the residuary Hyderabad state with Andhra, with its senior leader Maulana Azad opposed to such a merger. However, with the leadership from Andhra and a majority of the public opinion from the Hyderabad state favouring unification, it is reported that Pt. Nehru was able to persuade Maulana Azad, whereafter, the central leadership took the decision for the formation of Vishalandhra.
In keeping with the proposal made by both the Chief Ministers in the CMs Conference of October, 1955, the Central Government thus became agreeable to create the unified state. The leading protagonists of Telangana, like K.V. Ranga Reddy and M. Chenna Reddy, both Ministers in Hyderabad state, nevertheless, stuck to their demand for two separate Telugu states and continued their efforts towards that end. At this point of time, it was felt necessary that some safeguards be ensured in the interest of Telangana and the exercise that was made in this regard resulted in an Agreement between the two regions. At the instance of the Central Government, a meeting of the representatives of both the regions was called in Delhi, which took place at Hyderabad House on February 20, 1956. The two groups were represented by their top state leadership in the Governments and the Pradesh Congress Committees in equal numbers (four each) from both the regions, as given below in the text. After a detailed discussion in the meeting, a comprehensive agreement on the Safeguards for Telangana was signed by all the eight participants. The proceedings of this important meeting, as signed by both the groups, popularly known as Gentlemens Agreement 1956, are reproduced below verbatim.
TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti)
Telangana Rashtra Samithi, popularly known as TRS party, was founded on 27th April 2001 by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). The one and only objective of TRS Party then was to achieve a separate statehood to Telangana. With its uncompromising spirit to make aspirations for Telangana a reality, TRS Party played a pivotal role in carrying forth a sustained agitation to achieve statehood for Telangana.
Telangana statehood struggle is one of the longest peoples movements in the world. The six decade struggle, which began in early 50s, has reached its goal in February 2014.
The first statehood movement of 1950s led to the States Reorganization Commission recommending the Telangana state (then called Hyderabad State) in 1955 itself. But intense lobbying by Seemandhra political leaders resulted in Telangana being forcibly merged with Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh state in November 1956.
Telangana leaders, who suspected that Andhra region would dominate Telangana in all aspects, insisted that certain guarantees be given to Telangana before merger. Thus a Gentlemans Agreement with safeguards to Telangana region was signed by leaders of both the regions. But, even before the ink on the Gentlemans Agreement dried up, Andhra leaders flouted all safeguards and broke all promises made to Telangana region.
Telangana was discriminated in budgetary allocations. Jobs and educational opportunities belonging to Telangana region were usurped by Andhras. Students and employees of the region rose up in an agitation demanding separate Telangana state in 1969. However, this movement for statehood was suppressed by the state and central governments. About 370 youngsters were brutally gunned down by the police.
In May 1971, Telangana Praja Samithi Party headed by Marri Chenna Reddy won 10 of the 14 Parliament seats in Telangana region. But, very soon, Chenna Reddy merged Telangana Praja Samithi with Congress party.
While the statehood aspirations were alive in people, it took sometime before they found the right platform to intensify the agitation. In mid 90s, several peoples organizations started conducting meetings and seminars on the Telangana statehood issue. Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), who was then the Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh State assembly, had started background work on Telangana issue in early 2000.
And after detailed discussions and deliberations with many Telangana intellectuals, KCR had resigned to the posts of Deputy Speaker and MLA and announced the launch of Telangana Rashtra Samithi Party on 27th April 2001. Prof Jayashankar, the ideologue of Telangana statehood movement extended his support to KCR.
In 2004, TRS entered into a poll alliance with Congress party. The TRS party won 26 MLAs and 5 MPs and entered both the AP state Assembly and Indian Parliament. Telangana issue found a place in UPA-1 Common Minimum Program. The issue was also mentioned by President Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in their respective speeches in the parliament.
TRS president KCR was initially allotted the Shipping portfolio in Union Cabinet. However, another UPA ally DMK party demanded Shipping portfolio and threatened to walk out of the coalition if its demand was not met. KCR voluntarily relinquished the Shipping portfolio to save the fledgling UPA-1 government. KCR remained as a Union Minister without portfolio for a while before being given the portfolio of Labour and Employment.
As the UPA government did not show any serious interest in respecting the decades old demand for Telangana state, KCR resigned to his ministry in 2006. When a Congress leader made a belittling statement on the statehood movement in September 2006, KCR resigned to the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat and won it again with a thumping majority. The massive majority achieved by KCR in that election proved the strong statehood aspirations in the region.
YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who was then the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh used all kinds of illegal inducements to split the TRS party. A few MLAs left the party during this time. Despite many odds and political setbacks, TRS continued its struggle. In April 2008, TRS party MLAs resigned and also walked out of the state government in protest against the inordinate delay in Telangana formation. But, TRS could retain only 7 MLA and 2 Lok Sabha seats in this by-election.
On Nov 29th, 2009 , KCR had announced an indefinite hunger strike demanding statehood to Telangana. But enroute, the state police had arrested and sent him to Khammam sub-jail. The movement spread like wildfire with students, employees, peoples organizations plunging into it. In the next 10 days, the whole of Telangana region came to a standstill. The state government had called for an all-party meeting on 7th December. Leaders of TDP and PRP parties promised that they would support a Telangana statehood resolution if it was tabled in the state Assembly.
The TRS party emerged as the single largest party in the new state assembly elections held in April-May 2014, winning 63 seats in the 119-member assembly, TRS supremo Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao took the mantle of the Chief Minister of Telangana with a pledge to make Telangana Bangaru Telangana and a role model state in India.
TRS formed its second successive government in Telangana with a thumping majority by winning in 88 seats. People of Telangana gave their mandate to TRS after witnessing great development in the state in the first four-and-a-half years. The welfare schemes and development programs introduced by TRS government under the visionary leadership of CM Shri KCR helped the party in registering a resounding victory.