Most Andhras do not understand what we mean by self-rule. They ask, ‘You elect your MLAs and MPs and they already represent you in Indian democracy, so what else do you want?’
Most of them do not understand how our Indian democracy works. In addition to holding elections and electing our leaders, India has many institutions to safeguard various minorities and underprivileged so that they are not suppressed and marginalized. Some of those institutions include legal proceedings in a court, and even carving new states where necessary.
For example, Indian courts come into protect the rights of minorities even when majorities use their superior numbers to cow down the minorities. In case of Telangana, Supreme Court upheld the Mulki Rules to protect the interests of Telangana in early 1970s, but the Andhra politicians resorted to use of majority to revoke that decision. Those are the instances when a majority has failed to protect the interests of minority thereby hijacking our constitutional democracy.
Self-rule can be loosely defined as having a government that is representative of the people of that region. Currently the Andhra Pradesh government is dominated by Andhras. Though Telangana people elect their MPs, MLAs and MLCs, these representatives form a minority in the state of Andhra Pradesh and therefore are not able to truly represent the people of Telangana, work towards betterment of Telangana, and be accountable to people of Telangana.
Having MPs, MLAs and MLCs is not good enough if in a state the politics is divided strictly along regional lines and if the majority is working consistently for its vested interests suppressing the minority. That’s what’s happening in Andhra Pradesh and the history of fifty three years gives us innumerable instances to back that case.
Having a Chief Minister from Telangana is not good enough either because a CM in Indian democracy does not form the entire executive function. Without support from the cabinet and legislative bodies a CM cannot take any decision. An uncooperative cabinet and legislative assembly can reduce a CM to a figurehead. Only when he is cooperated by the cabinet and legislative bodies does he truly become the executive.
Lot of people do not relate to the above without giving examples. During 1930 and 1940s India had ‘democracy’ under the aegis of British Administration. We had elections where in people of Indian voted and elected their leaders of Congress, Muslim League and United Party. And these elected leaders held posts and governed India. And yet, Indians did not think it was self-rule. That’s because the ultimate power to make important decisions was still with British who were not representative of people of India. Such experiments failed and eventually India was content only when British left India completely.
The same holds true in case of Telangana. Though we have our elected leaders, they are still not in a position to take ultimate decisions within the state because they are suppressed by the majority Andhras. Things would have worked out if Andhras had kept their promises of Gentlemen’s Agreement, and various other accords. Since we have a history of fifty three years of bad faith in which the minority Telanganas were suppressed, it makes a case to form a new state for Telangana so that the executive and legislature are now representative of Telangana and hence accountable to people of Telangana. All this can be done within the confines of Indian Constitution as a legal and legitimate entity called State.
Andhras don’t understand when Telangana people say they are fighting for self-respect. They ask, ‘how does one get self-respect, just by creating a new state’?
I could easily answer that by saying, ‘Exactly the way you got self-respect by creating Andhra State out of Madras State’. But then most Andhras wouldn’t understand that either because they have no clue why their leader Potti Sriramulu fought for a new state. They continue to believe that their great leader fought for unification when in fact he fought for the exact opposite- the division of a state, which Telanganas are now fighting for.
Within the state of Andhra Pradesh, Telanganas do not have their own identity though they constitute a distinctly cultural group. Efforts could have been made to ensure their place in Andhra Pradesh was carefully managed so that they were recognized by their unique identity. No such measures took place. Instead all efforts were made to do the exact opposite - to blur Telangana identity completely by imposing the Andhra history and culture onto Telanganas in every aspect of the society, and whatever was remaining it was reduced to ridicule.
Right now Telanganas do not have their identity accommodated in this union of regions. Their history has been erased and replaced by history of Andhras. Their language is demoted and ridiculed while the language of Andhras is encouraged and lauded. While the language of Andhras is considered elite, the language of Telanganas is equated to the languages of lower class, the coolies, the workers, and sometimes even reviled as languages of gundas and eve-teasers.
As long as such perceptions continue to exist and continue to proliferate, we will see continued discrimination of Telangana people by Andhra people in all spheres. Telangana people end up having a low self-esteem because of their language and hence will make attempts to hide their accent to fit into the organizations they work where Andhras happen to be the bosses. Over a period of time, even Telangana people discriminate their own ilk based on the language because they now have a class divide within Telangana people on who speaks refined Telugu.
Telangana language, Telangana songs, Telangana dress sense are ridiculed, and equated to Naxalites, who are considered bad guys now by most Indians. Many of their ballads were banned during the height of Naxalite Movement. Talking Telangana is now equated to being a Maoist or Naxalite. Such characterization is no different than how Blacks continue to suffer discrimination in USA because of their language and accent equated to that of uneducated and unrefined.
Self-respect comes from the ability to rule oneself on one’s own terms without being subject to ridicule or ignominy. That will come to Telangana with its new state. Now people of Telangana can say to themselves and others, ‘You have Andhra Telugu, we now have Telangana Telugu, so please don’t tell us that we are under one banner called Telugu which is nothing but Andhra Telugu. We reject such characterization.’
KCR and other leaders coming onto the stage and openly speaking Telangana Telugu during this agitation is nothing but affirmation that Telangana Telugu will no longer be relegated to a buffoon or a villain but that even the leaders and heroes can speak that language.
That, for some of us, is self-respect.
[The related posts are at: Case for Telangana, 6: Hyderabad State?, 8: You need to make a case, History of Telangana I, 10: Congratulations!, History of Telangana II, 11: Why so much opposition?, 12: Ignorance, Bad Faith and Low Opinion. 13: Let’s stay United!, 14: Letter to Andhra Brothers, 15: Concerns, 16: Samaikya Andhra, 17: More Concerns, 18: Betrayal, 19: Hyderabad a Union Territory?, 20: Welcome the Change, 21: Status of Hyderabad, 22: Cheat the Cheated, 23: Tidbits, 24: United we Stand, 25: Congratulations Andhra, 26: Untoward Incidents and Unity, 27: Violence mars Telangana Agitation, 28: Stickers, 29: Reporting from Hyderabad, 30: How Telangana Movement Spread, 31: Free 1948. Surrender 1956. Free 2010. 32: Don’t give in. Don’t give up. 33: Notes on ‘My Telugu Roots’]