Telangana row: Vijayamma to go on indefinite fast from 19 Aug

YSR Congress’ Vijayamma demands Centre to maintain status quo if it cannot do justice to all AP regions

Yogendra Kalavalapalli 

    

 

First Published: Wed, Aug 14 2013. 10 56 PM IST

The Congress party and its allies on 30 July announced their intention to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh with Hyderabad as the joint capital of the two Telugu speaking States for a period of 10 years. Photo: AP

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Hyderabad: Complicating things for the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Vijayamma—widow of former state chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and honorary president of the YSR Congress Party—will go on an indefinite fast from 19 August in Vijayawada demanding the state be kept united.

“Vijyamama will undertake the indefinite fast demanding the Centre to maintain status quo if it cannot do justice to all regions,” senior YSR Congress Party leader M.V. Mysoora Reddy said on Wednesday. “The indefinite fast is aimed at highlighting the failure of the Centre to do justice to all regions in the process of division of the state and (for) conducting (itself) in an authoritarian manner by taking unilateral decisions which are affecting multitude of people of one region,” Reddy told a press conference.

Floated by Congress rebel and Kadapa member of Parliament (MP)Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the YSR Congress Party had not explicitly spelled out its stand on the statehood issue during two all-party meetings convened before 30 July, but has of late said it wants to keep the state united, owing to its stronger presence in the Seemandhra region. The coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions are collectively known as Seemandhra.

The Congress party and its allies on 30 July announced their intention to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh with Hyderabad as the joint capital of the two Telugu speaking States for a period of 10 years.

The decision drew criticism from the Seemandhra region. Demonstrations continued for the 15th consecutive day in 13 districts of Seemandhra with state government employees of various departments boycotting duties.

Vijayamma also sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday objecting to the division of the state.

“Doing justice to one region does not mean causing injustice to the other regions. This fundamental principle was ignored by Congress party which has priorities in votes and seats,” Vijayamma wrote in her letter. “It is not fair on part of the Centre to keep with it the powers of restructuring any state unless it can take decisions that would be agreeable to concerned parties without injustice to any region,” she said.

Mysoora Reddy questioned why the Congress party is proceeding with the bifurcation without discussing the findings of the Justice Sri Krishna Committee report, which examined the contentious Telangana statehood issue in detail.

Jagan Reddy resigned as member of Parliament on 10 August, while his mother quit as legislator from the state assembly, protesting against the unilateral decision of the Congress party to divide the state. Sixteen party legislators from the Seemandhra region resigned on 25 July, prior to the 30 July decision of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), while the party’s second MP from Lok Sabha Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, representing the Nellore constituency, resigned from office on 5 August.

The ruling Congress party and the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party are also divided on the issue with their legislators and MPs quitting office in solidarity with the feelings of people from their constituencies, although the parties’ leaderships had taken an in-principle stand favouring statehood to Telangana. Eleven state cabinet ministers and as many as 19 MPs resigned as they favour keeping the state united.

Jagan Reddy broke ranks with the Congress party after being sidelined by the central leadership following the death of his father Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash in September 2009. He is currently lodged in prison in a disproportionate assets case linking his growth in income to alleged quid pro quo investments in his companies during the tenure of his father as chief minister.

Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh (1956)

The Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh (1956) refers to a gentlemen's agreement that was signed between Telangana and Andhra leaders before the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956. The agreement provided safeguards with the purpose of preventing discrimination against Telangana by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The alleged violations of this agreement are cited as one of the reasons for demands of separate statehood for Telangana.^[1]

Contents   [hide]  1 Background 2 Agreement text 2.1 Signatories 3 See also 4 References

Background[edit]

The Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh has a precedent in the Sribagh Pact of 1937 which was between the leaders of Rayalaseema and Coastal Telugu speaking districts of Madras State to provide assurances for Rayalaseema in return for their willingness to join Andhra State. This unbinding pact was largely forgotten probably because of the large political representation the region has had in the state governments since independence.

When the Hyderabad State was freed from the Nizam of Hyderabad by police action, there was a debate in the Telugu speaking districts of the state(also known as Telangana) on whether to join the newly formed Andhra State, carved out of Telugu speaking districts of Madras state. To convince the leadership of Telangana to join the new state, an agreement was reached between the leaders of both sides. This came to be known as the Gentlemen's agreement. The agreement allowed the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 itself, against the recommendations ofStates Reorganisation Commission (SRC), which recommended "the Telangana area is to constitute into a separate State, which may be known as the Hyderabad State with provision for its unification with Andhra after the general elections likely to be held in or about 1961 if by a two thirds majority the legislature of the residency Hyderabad State expresses itself in favor of such unification(para 386)".

Agreement text[edit]

A Regional Standing Committee: 1. There will be one legislature for the whole of Andhra Pradesh which will be the sole law making body for the entire state and there be one Governor for the State aided and advised by the Council of Ministers responsible to the State Assembly for the entire field of Administration.

2. For the more convenient transaction of the business of Government with regard to some specified matters the Telangana area will be treated as one region.

3. For the Telangana region there will be a Regional Standing Committee of the state assembly consisting of the members of the State Assembly belonging to that region including the Ministers from that region but not including the Chief Minister.

4. Legislation relating to specified matters will be referred to the Regional committee. In respect of specified matters proposals may also be made by the Regional Committee to the State Government for legislation or with regard to the question of general policy not involving any financial commitments other than expenditure of a routine and incidental character.

5. The advice tendered by the Regional Committee will normally be accepted by the Government and the State Legislature. In case of difference of opinion, reference will be made to the Governor whose decision will be binding.

6. The Regional Committee will deal with following matters:

i) Development and economic planning within the framework of the general development plans formulated by the State Legislature.

ii) Local Self Government, that is to say, the Constitutional powers of Municipal Corporations, Improvement Trusts, District Boards and district authorities for the purpose of Local Self Government or Village Administration.

iii) Public health and sanitation, local hospitals and dispensaries.

iv) Primary and secondary education.

v)Regulation of admission to the educational institutions in the telangana region.

vi)Prohibition

vii) Sale of agricultural lands.

viii) Cottage and small scale Industries, and

ix) Agriculture, Cooperative Societies, Markets and Fairs.

Unless revised by agreement earlier this arrangement will be reviewed after ten years.

B. Domicile Rules : Telangana is regarded as a unit as far as recruitment to subordinate services is concerned; posts borne on the cadre of these services may be reserved for being filled up by persons who satisfy the domicile conditions as prescribed under the existing Hyderabad Mulki Rules. ( 12 years of Stay in Telangana area)

C. The position of Urdu. The Government of India would advise the state Government to take appropriate steps to ensure that the existing position of Urdu in administrative and judicial structure of the State is maintained for a period of five years.

D. Retrenchment of surplus personnel in the new State. The Government of India do not anticipate any retrenchment. The intention is that so far as possible, the service personnel from the Hyderabad State should be automatically integrated into the services of the Andhra Pradesh without any process of screening. Should, however, any retrenchment be found necessary, the entire personnel of the services of the enlarged State will be treated on equal footing.

E. Distribution of expenditure between Telangana and Andhra Regions. Allocation of expenditure with the resources of the state is a matter which falls within the purview of the State Government and the State Legislature.. Since, however, it has been agreed to the representatives of Andhra and Telangana that the expenditure of the new state on central and general administration should be borne proportionately by the two regions and the balance of income should be reserved for expenditure on the development of Telangana area, it is open to the state government to act in accordance with the terms of agreement in making budgetary allocations. The Government of India propose to invite the attention of the Chief Minister of Andhra to this particular understanding and to express the hope that it will be implemented.

F. The existing educational facilities including Technical Education in Telangana should be secured to the students of Telangana and further improved---

G. The cabinet will consist of members in proportion of 60:40 percent for Andhra and Telangana respectively, out of 40% of Telangana ministers, one will be a Muslim from Telangana. If the Chief Minister is from one region the other region should be given Dy Chief Ministership.

Signatories[edit]

Andhra region	Telangana Region
B. Gopal Reddy Chief Minister, Andhra State	B. Rama Krishna Rao Chief Minister, Hyderabad state
N. Sanjeeva Reddy	K.V. Ranga Reddy
G.Lachanna	M. Chenna Reddy
Alluri Satyanarayana Raju	J.V. Narsing Rao

Source: Page 190 of "Committees and Commissions in India 1947-73, Volumen Nine, 1968-69" by Virendra Kumar - Concept Publushing compa