Opinion State your claim

In the first place,given the existence of a wide range of demands for autonomy,how does a government “legitimise” a demand or one set of demands even while not conceding others? A detailed process of consultation tests the intensity and genuineness of a demand and allows for a meaningful gatekeeping operation that channels demands in an appropriate and acceptable manner. In the past,the formal announcement of the creation of a new state has always been preceded by the preparation of the political ground for it. More often than not,the formal announcement of the creation of a new state did not come as a surprise,as the subject had been doing the rounds within official circles for quite some time. This often made the formal announcement more “acceptable” even though other demands for autonomy continued to be voiced.

Secondly,any conceding/ creation of a new state is bound to invite some disquiet in the state/s of which it was earlier part. A detailed process of consultation and negotiation immensely helps in ironing out differences and reconciling contradictions — vital to the sustainability of a new state.

On both these counts,the Telangana announcement appears to have run into trouble. While it must be conceded that the demand for the creation of a separate Telangana state is among the oldest of demands,and has been voiced with varying degrees of assertiveness for a long time,the timing of the announcement is surprising. While the “fast-unto-death” by TRS chief K.C. Rao may have had an effect,it would have been more politically prudent to build up a real consensus,which would have placed the Telangana demand in a different league. This would have helped the government respond to the other demands for autonomy more effectively. Now,instead,even as the Telangana news broke,it was quickly followed up by the statements of those in the forefront of other autonomy demands aggressively advocating their case.

The failure to generate a political consensus within the state is also clearly apparent. It must be embarrassing for the Congress to see many of its prominent elected representatives (from the non-Telangana part of Andhra Pradesh) submitting their resignations in protest. The manner in which Chief Minster Rosaiah has dealt with the post-announcement political developments indicates the predicament he is in. The many camps within the state Congress will clearly use this political moment to gain a vantage position in the fight for space. The non-TRS opposition in Andhra Pradesh has already begun targeting the central leadership of the Congress for making a unilateral announcement.

The Central government will have its hands full dealing with the plethora of demands for the creation of new states even as it deals with the specific problem,opposition to the way in which the Telangana demand was conceded. While it could be true that the Centre could not have afforded to delay responding to the Telangana demand any more,a more careful handling of the situation could have prevented the political controversies that have been stirred up.

The writer is currently the Pro Vice Chancellor of Jain University,Bangalore

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