Telangana movement
Encyclopedia
The Telangana movement refers to a group of related political activities organized to support the creation of a new state of Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...

, from the existing state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 in South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The proposed new state corresponds to the Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

-speaking portions of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

.

Background

When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad, a Muslim king, wanted Hyderabad State to remain independent under the special provisions given to princely states. The Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

s of the Hyderabad State who accounted for 93 per cent of its population, launched the `Join India' movement with the cooperation of a few patriotic Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s for the integration of the State with the rest of the country. The State Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 leaders and Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...

 leaders invoked themselves whole-heartedly in the movement. The peasants of the state, influenced by the Communist party
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...

, had also revolted against the Nizam, who tried to suppress their armed struggle against landlords. Qasim Razvi
Qasim Razvi
Syed Kasim Razvi also Qasim Razvi was the Razakars chief of Hyderabad State, a local Muslim militia. They blocked accession into post-partition India of the predominantly Hindu region of Hyderabad. He fought against the Indian forces during Operation Polo, on behalf of the Nizam.-Career:Kasim Razvi...

 led private Razakar
Razakar
Razakar is an Urdu word for volunteer and may historically refer to:*Razakars : Islamist East Pakistani militia that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War...

 Muslim army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule, did worst forms of atrocities on people. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 liberated and assimilated the Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

 called Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....

.

In December 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. The commission, due to public demand, recommended disintegration of Hyderabad state and to merge Marathi speaking region with Bombay state
Bombay State
The Bombay State was a state of India, dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on May 1, 1960.-History:During British rule, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency...

 and Kannada speaking region with Mysore state
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

. The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telugu speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad state
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

 with Andhra state
Andhra State
Andhra State was a state in India created on October 1, 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras Presidency. On November 1, 1956 it was merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the united Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh.- Madras Manade movement :In 1953,...

, despite their common language. Para 378 of the SRC report said "One of the principal causes of opposition of Vishalandhra also seems to be the apprehension felt by the educationally backward people of Telangana that they may be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people of the coastal areas."

Andhra state and Telangana was merged to form Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 state on 1 November 1956 after providing safeguards to Telangana in the form of Gentlemen's agreement.

Grievances of Telangana proponents

Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution.

Pre-2004 Telangana protests

Soon after the formation of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, people of Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...

 expressed dissatisfaction over how the agreements and guarantees were implemented. On 19 January 1969, all party accord was reached to ensure the proper implementation of Telangana safeguards.
Telangana leaders were not satisfied with the accord. Movement turned violent and army had to be called in. After several days of talks with leaders of both regions, on 12 April 1969, Prime minister came up with Eight point plan. Telangana leaders rejected the plan and protests continued under the leadership of newly formed political party Telangana Praja Samithi
Telangana Praja Samithi
Telangana Praja Samithi or Telangana Peoples Association was a Indian political party which fought for statehood for the Telangana region.-History:TPS was founded in 1969. The founding president of the party was Madan Mohan...

 in 1969 asking for the formation of telangana and people continued to get killed in police firing. Under the Mulki
Mulki
Mulki is a panchayat town in Dakshina Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is on the banks of Shambhavi River. It was earlier known as Moolikapur, turned to Mulki. A small town with people of diverse religions, it is 10 km north of Suratkal. Karnad is a locality within...

 rules in force at the time, anyone who had lived in Hyderabad for 15 years was considered a local, and was thus eligible for certain government posts. When the Supreme Court upheld the Mulki rules at the end of 1972, the Jai Andhra movement, with the aim of re-forming a separate state of Andhra, was started in Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...

 and Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...

 regions.

On 21 September 1973, a political settlement was reached with the Government of India with a Six-Point Formula. It was agreed upon by the leaders of the two regions to prevent any recurrence of such agitations in the future. To avoid legal problems, constitution was amended(32nd amendment) to give the legal sanctity to the Six-point formula.

In 1985, when Telangana employees complained about the violations to six point formula, government enacted government order 610(GO 610) to correct the violations in recruitment. As Telangana people complained about non implementation of GO 610, in 2001, government constituted Girglani commission to look into violations.

In 1997, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...

 (BJP) passed a resolution seeking a separate Telangana. A new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi
Telangana Rashtra Samithi
Telangana Rashtra Samithi is a regional separatist political party in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Ideology:Telangana Rashtra Samithi's main aim is to separate Telangana region from Andhra Pradesh and to regain regional autonomy as it existed before the formation of Andhra Pradesh...

 (TRS), led by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), was formed in 2001 with the single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital.

In April 2002, the home minister during the NDA government, BJP leader L.K. Advani wrote a letter to MP A. Narendra rejecting a proposal to create Telangana state explaining that “regional disparities in economic development could be tackled through planning and efficient use of available resources”. He said that the NDA government, therefore, does “not propose creation of a separate state of Telangana”

2004 to 2010

For the 2004 Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region that promised a separate Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...

 State. Congress came to power in the state and formed a coalition government at the centre; TRS joined the coalition and was successful in making a separate Telangana state a part of the common minimum programme
Common minimum programme
The Common Minimum Programme is a document outlining the minimum objectives of a coalition government in India. The document has acquired prominence since coalition governments have become the norm in India.-References:...

 of the coalition government. However, again in 2006, the then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy , popularly known as YSR, was a two-time Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He is seen as the most popular chief minister of Andhra pradesh. His popularity is often attributed to various welfare schemes and development programs he championed for the...

 categorically said that the state would remain united.

In February 2009 the state government declared that it had no objection, in principle, to the formation of separate Telangana and that the time had come to move forward decisively on this issue. To resolve related issues, the government constituted a joint house committee. In the lead-up to the 2009 General Elections in India, all the major parties in Andhra Pradesh supported the formation of Telangana.

In the 2009 elections TRS managed to win only 10 assembly seats out of the 45 it contested and only 2 MP seats. Some media analysts thought Telangana sentiment faded.

On 29 November 2009 TRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao
K. Chandrashekar Rao
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao , abbreviated KCR, is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He is a Member of Parliament from the Mahaboobnagar constituency of Andhra Pradesh and is the president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. He was the cabinet minister for Labour and Employment.-Early...

 (KCR) started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament. Student organizations, employee unions, and various organizations joined the movement. General strikes shut down Telangana on 6 and 7 December. In a all party meeting on dec 7, all major Opposition parties extended their support for a separate state for Telengana.

Telangana State Formation process Announcement

On 9 December 2009, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...

 announced that the Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly after a 11-day fast by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao. This again resulted in protests across both Andhra and Rayalseema  as in a short time of the Home Minister's declaration, MLAs from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions submitted their resignations in protest. On 23 December, the Government of India announced that no action on Telangana will be taken until a consensus is reached by all parties.
Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema region MLAs started withdrawing their resignations while MLAs and ministers from Telangana started submitting their resignations, and demanded that the Centre take immediate steps to initiate the process of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.

BJP leader and leader of opposition in Loka Sabha, Sushma Swaraj in 2010 said that they would have formed the Telangana State along with Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand in year 2000 but the Telugu Desam, which extended outside support to it, opposed the plan.

On 3 February the government announced the five-member committee headed by Justice SriKrishna that would look into the issue.

Srikrishna Committee report

In an all-party meeting on 6 January 2011, which was boycotted by the TRS, BJP and TDP, the Home ministry released the 505-page Srikrishna committee
Srikrishna committee on Telangana
Srikrishna committee on Telangana or Committee for consultations on the situation in Andhra Pradesh is a committee headed by former chief justice B. N. Srikrishna to look into the demand for separate statehood for Telangana or keep the state united in the present form, Andhra Pradesh...

 . The report discusses six solutions to the problem. The preferred option is Keeping the State united by simultaneously providing certain definite constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council. The second best option is Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries, with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.

On 23 March 2011, Justice L Narasimha Reddy of Andhra Pradesh high court ordered central government to make contents of 8th chapter of Sri Krishna Committee, so called 'secret report'. Justice in his 60 page judgement said "The Committee travelled beyond the terms of reference in its endeavour to persuade the Union of India not to accede to the demand for Telangana". The judgement also quoted the SKC report's 8th chapter and said "The maneuver suggested by the Committee in its secret supplementary note poses an open challenge, if not threat, to the very system of democracy."

On 26 April, a division bench comprising the Chief Justice of the AP high court has stayed the order of Justice L Narasimha Reddy who had directed the Centre to make public the secret Chapter.

Non-cooperation movement and Million March

On 17 February 2011 noncooperation movement was started which lasted for 16days with participation by 300,000 government employees. It caused Rs 8 billion per day in revenue to government. In February and March, Assembly session was boycotted for weeks and Parliament session was disrupted for several days by Telangana representatives.
Million March was organized by Telangana JAC in Hyderabad on 10 March 2010. In a move to disrupt the march, police arrested over thousand activists throughout the region and closed down entry to Hyderabad city by stopping certain transportation services and diverting traffic. Around 50,000 people reached the venue of the march, Tank Bund by hoodwinking police. Some Telangana activists damaged 16 statues of personalties hailed form Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra is used to specify the combined region of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions of Andhra pradesh, India. This term became more popular during the Telangana movement. Seema-Andhra is another name for the region that forms the Andhra state that existed in between 1953 and 1956...

 representing Telugu culture language. They threw some of the remnants into the lake. Top leaders of all political parties in the state and various cultural organizations condemned the vandalism.

Mass Resignations

Fearing law & order problem due to violence similar to the Million March incident, State police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 refused to give permission to TRS to hold their formation day public meeting in Parade grounds in Hyderabad. The state government sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for repair and re-installation of statues on Tank Bund, demolished during the Million March programme. Along with installation of the 16 statues, another new statue of social activist from Telangana, Komaram Bheem, would also be installed. Both TJAC & the Telangana Congress leaders set fresh deadlines to renew their agitation. On 4 July 2011 as many as 81 of 119 Telangana MLAs in the state, 12 out of 15 Telangana ministers in state, 13 out of 17 Telangana MPs in Lok Sabha, 1 Rajyasabha MP(Congress), 20 MLCs resigned protesting delay in the formation of Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...

. On 20 July, 30-year-old Yadi Reddy was found dead 100 yards from Parliament House in Delhi. An eight-page suicide note says the young driver from greater Hyderabad region of Telangana was upset over the government not creating a new state for his homeland. The speaker of the AP assembly on 23 July summarily rejected the resignations of all 101 MLAs citing that they were made in an emotionally surcharged atmosphere.

All Peoples Strike / Sakala Janula Samme

On 12 September 2011, a day before Sakala Janula Samme(All people's strike), TRS organized a public meeting in Karimnagar which was attended by over a million people including Telangana JAC leaders, BJP and New Democracy party leaders. Starting 13 September, as part of 'strike by all section of people' supporting Telangana statehood, government employees throughout Telangana stayed out of work affecting government offices throughout the region and vowed to continue it till the formation of Telangana state. Lawyers started boycotting courts. 60,000 coal miners of Singareni Collieries(SCCL Ltd.) also joined the strike. On 14 September and 15, nearly 450 movie Theaters in Telangana were closed at the call given by Telangana film chamber. Starting 16 September, government teachers joined the strike. Private school managements declared one day holday in support of the strike. On 19 September, state road transport corporation employees and state electricity board employees in Telangana joined the indefinite strike.

On a call given by JAC, road blockades on national highways throughout Telangana, the rail blockade by JAC and the strike of auto rikshaw union on 24 September and 25 disrupted transport services. Virtually all sections of people joined this strike.
On 30 September, as the strike enter 18th day, even while Congress central leadership meeting several Telangana congress leaders, JAC called a bundh in Hyderabad city. On 2 October, JAC leaders, employee unions leaders and TRS leaders including KCR met Prime minister to explain the grave situation in Telangna due to the strike and asked to expedite the decision on the statehood demand. The strike has resulted in an unprecedented power crisis in the state. On 4 October, only 223 MU of power generated against the demand of 275MU impacting both the industry and agriculture.

On 9 October, some workers of the Youth Congress agitated and threw chairs at each other at the Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad during a membership drive demanding that it be postponed until the Central Government of India made any official announcement on Telangana. They also demanded that a separate Telangana Youth Congress be formed for the youth from Telangana. On October 10, Telangana activists attacked a private college in Hyderabad and threw stones at the windows of the NRI College in Kukatpally, where majority residents are migrants from Andhra region, badly damaging the window panes. The parents of some children protested outside the college demanding that schools and colleges be excluded from the strikes and conflicts as the students have missed classes for a month already and they were worried about their future. The majority of colleges and schools remained shut in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) president criticized that KCR, Kodandaram, Harish Rao and others were encouraging the students to take active part in the ongoing agitation for Telangana, and alleged that they were not allowing their own children to take part in the stir. While demanding that the Telangana leaders disclose the details of where their children were pursuing studies, he said that children from oppressed sections of the society, were being deprived of the opportunity to pursue studies, under the influence of the T-stir, while the children from the T-leaders were being sent abroad or other areas, to pursue studies without any disturbance. On 22 October, activists of the Prajasanghala (People’s organisations) JAC protested in front of Prof. Kodandram's house alleging that the TJAC changed its stand on Sakala Janula Samme and on a separate Telangana after Kodandaram and KCR's visit to New Delhi. They alleged the TJAC had entered into a pact with the Centre and is deliberately diluting the movement.

On 11 October, a case was filed against KCR, under IPC section 153, for delivering instigating speeches and creating rift between people from different regions in the state. FIR said that he had tried to instigate people to attack Telangana representatives for not resigning for the cause of Telangana. Later that day, Police have also added the two leaders Swami Goud and Vithal of the Telangana Joint Action Committee after they demanded that the Police of Hyderabad city would also join the struggle for a separate state. The Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee reported that KCR was behaving rudely while he was in Telangana region and wise when he was Delhi, at the Union government. They also demanded that the government should seize the properties of KCR as to recover from the losses caused by the All people's strike.
After being criticized by both the Congress high command as well as the Centre over how he has been handling the issue, CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government would adopt a zero-tolerance system and will initiate stern action against anyone if they try to create any law and order problem or cause any inconvenience to the people. He cautioned them saying that the stir is spoiling the prospects of the youth.
After 22 days of strike, the APSRTC
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation or APSRTC is the state owned road transport corporation in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is acknowledged as the single corporation having the largest fleet in the world...

  resumed plying buses after one of the unions suspended the strike. Telangana union leaders condemned the decision and said that a union leader belonging to Andhra-Seema region had no right to withdraw the strike. This led to split in the union and Telangana union leaders floated a separate body and decided to continue the strike.
Due to this, only few buses returned to service. On 13 October, the parents of most school-going children warned the TJAC that to call of the strike for the schools and colleges by 15 October after which they will chalk out their course of action. Eight Congress MPs from Telangana, who resigned in July demanding a separate state of Telangana, insisted the speaker to accept their resignations on 12 October. They also demanded that the Group-II exams, screening test for thousands of state government jobs, be postponed until the strike is over.
As the All People's strike entered the 30th day on 14 October 2011, Medak's MP Vijayashanti criticized the Congress high command for the delay in making the decision on Telangana and said Congress wants the issue to prolong until 2014. She further said the strike should continue until the formation of Telanana state. On that day, the government of Andhra Pradesh asked the employees of the Joint Action Committee to hold further discussions with their chief secretary, Pankaj Dwivedi. Also, a senior official said that the Joint Action Committee has no right to dictate to the government and they have to wait until the centre takes a decision. The Government also asked all the police to submit the details of those members of the JAC who have been arrested during the strikes and protests. The government said that only those members of the JAC who were dancing and singing at the protests were spared and they took the opinion of the advocate-general on what to do with them. KT Rama Rao alleged that the CM of Andhra Pradesh was bribing the T Congress MLAs to lure them out of the agitation. This was strongly refuted by the Congress leaders who demanded an apology from KTR and challenged him to reveal the names of MLAs who took bribe.

On the 1st day of Rail blockade on October 15, 110 trains were cancelled and 68 trains were diverted. The railways operated 12 trains and Hyderabad metro trails with full police protection. Telangana protestors tried to have sit in on rail platforms or on railway tracks at various places. Police arrested thousands of protesters including eight MPs and four MLAs. On same day, employee unions of road transport corporation called off the strike. On 16 October, JAC gave a call for Telangana Bundh(general stike) for next day to protest the police's "reign of terror to suppress" the agitation during the rail blockade and said they are cancelling the 3rd day of rail blockade on Oct 17. On same day, Teachers union also said they will attend the schools in the interest of students but they will not sign the attendance registers and will not take the salaries. Some teachers donated the salary they got for the strike period. They felt that teachers have become scapegoats at the hands of the their state leaders who have a personal agenda and called off the strike as part of this. Normal life was again affected as the public transport facilities, especially busses which were properly resumed after the 28-day long strike were again off the roads. Schools, colleges and offices were again shut for 17 October, as the agitation continued.

On October 17, Coal miners called off strike the strike.

On October 17, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who resigned from assembly and from TDP to join TRS, re-elected to assembly by about 50 thousand majority. He got about 68% of polled votes while his opponent from congress got 27% votes. TDP did not field a candidate. Afer his victory in Banswada bypoll, he warned Andhra settlers in the region with dire consequences for not voting for him. He had hoped for one lakh majority in the byelection in view of the ongoing high voltage Telangana movement. But to his dismay, Congress candidate could get a comfortable 33,356 votes. The frustrated Srinivas Reddy accused Andhra settlers of ignoring the Telangana sentiment and voting for Congress candidate. This hurt the feelings of settlers in the region.

After 42days, on October 24, government employees unions called off the strike. Kodandaram said that the strike had impacted the overall thinking of the Centre towards creation of separate State and the movement will continue with other protest activities.

Losses due to the strike

  • While the striking employees of RTC got their wages and bonuses for the strike period, the corporation has been hit by financial crisis. APSRTC already with a Rs. 310 crore loss in the financial year suffered another Rs. 200 crore loss due to the "Sakala Janula Samme".
  • On 19 October, Singareni staff from 3 districts who were striking for 35 days resumed their work after the management agreed to adjust leave against strike period with wages. The strike resulted in a loss of Rs. 600 crore for the Singareni Collieries Co Ltd. Apart from causing severe power crisis across the country. An additional Rs. 120 crores was lost towards payment of wages to employees for the strike period.
  • The state government also lost around Rs. 250 crore due to power purchases from other states. It also affected the production of long steel in India.
  • The water board suffered Rs. 5 crore loss during the strike.
  • The South Central railway lost Rs. 12.63 crores till 24 September due to the rail roko programmes.
  • The Assocham estimated tangible losses in excess of Rs. 10,000 crores in only 15 days of the strike.
  • A revenue loss of Rs.50 crore every day to the government due to strike by excise employees.
  • Manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients that go into medication have lost Rs.500 crore till 26 September because of the strike.
  • Northern Power Distribution Company Ltd's (NPDCL) revenues amounting to Rs 320 crores were held up


In response to a lawsuit that seeks a direction that a new state shouldn’t be carved out from the parent territory, the Supreme Court of India took strong exception to the prolonged agitation during which normal life gets affected, courts become paralysed and colossal damage is done to public property. It sought responses from the AP government and TRS.

Efforts to end strike

With the agitation for statehood to Telangana intensifying, the congress has decided to speed up all the discussions and quickly solve the problem.
On 30 September 2011 Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress and the current Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India....

, Congress party's AP state in-charge, submitted to Congress president an internal party report about Telangana issue after holding consultations with leaders from Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions for over two months.
On 8 October, Azad said that the key leaders of the Congress and the centre have met nine leaders from Andhra Pradesh including the chief minister and are working on finding a solution to the issue as soon as possible. PM Manmohan Singh indicated that resolving the Telangana statehood issue might “take some time.” Maintaining that there has not been any “inaction” by the government over the crisis, the Prime Minister said that “given the complications involved in settlement, it will take some time.” Dr Singh said that the government "is engaged in widespread dialogue and discussions with all the stakeholders and hopes to reach a win-win situation for all concerned through the process."

After the Strike

On October 29, 2011, three Telangana Congress party MLAs resigned and joined TRS party in protest as they were diappointed with Congress leadership's delay in Telangana state formation.

Many Telangana activists headed by Telangana Praja Front leader Gaddar are contemplating to form a new party to take the Telangana movement forward. Dr Sangam Prithviraj, leader of the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee, who supports Gaddar in forming the new political force, also blamed KCR for the movement fizzling out. "KCR kept the students out of the agitation this time and this was an intentional ploy to ensure that the new state is not formed," he said.

With fears of Maoists infiltrating the Telangana movement, the CM of Andhra Pradesh was provided with bullet proof podium for his speech on AP formation day on 1 November 2011.

On November 1, Congress MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy started an indefinite hunger strike until the Centre announced a roadmap for Telangana state. On November 6, the fast was broken when Police arrested him under Section 309 of IPC (attempt to commit suicide) and shifted him to NIMS, Hyderabad where he is under intravenous fluids. He ended his fast on November 9. 97-year old Freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji also launched his week-long satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding statehood to the region.

On November 7, 2011 Actress Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...

 was attacked by a mob claiming to be TRS activists during a shoot in Hyderabad. They threatened her to say 'Jai Telangana' by shouting out cuss words. The actress later tweeted, "How can they break my car, throw stones, stop shoot and threaten me to say Jai Telangana. That too in broad day light, Police staring at all of this. What about freedom and safety? Thank god the stone didn't hit me. Both the windows of my car are broken. I am disgusted, I'm born in India. I deserve my freedom and safety is my right (sic)". TRS activists also attacked Parakala Prabhakar for his remarks against the Telangana movement and TRS ideologue, the late Prof. Jayashankar.

On November 10, 2011 Andhra Pradesh state Director General of Police said there is no active involvement of Maoists in the Telangana movement.

After the proposal by UP Chief Minister Mayawati to split Uttar Pradesh into four states, the BJP, which is a strong advocate of smaller states, demanded formation of the second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) for restructuring and splitting big states into smaller ones.

Books on Telangana movement

  • Telangana the struggle and betrayal: My Autobiography by K V Ranga Reddy
    K V Ranga Reddy
    Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy popularly known as K. V. Ranga Reddy is a former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is a freedom fighter who fought the Telangana Rebellion against the Nizams.-Early life:Chenna Reddy was born to K. V...

    http://kvrangareddy.com/
  • Battleground Telangana: Chronicle of an Agitation
    Battleground Telangana: Chronicle of an Agitation
    Battleground Telangana: Chronicle of an Agitation is a book written by a senior journalist resident editor of Times of India, Kingshuk Nag on the Telangana movement in and before formation of Andhra Pradesh state. It was released in July 2011.-Synopsis:...

     by Kingshuk Nag
  • Telangana: The State of Affairs
    Telangana: The State of Affairs
    -Synopsis:The book analyses the issues of regional discrimination, identity and its construction. It explains rationale for the demand for separate Statehood for Telangana. The book comprises essays by Duncan B. Forrester, N Venugopal, M Bharath Bhushan, Dean E...

     by M. Bharath Bhushan and N. Venugopal

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK