'United Andhra Pradesh with special steps for Telangana best way forward'

The Justice Srikrishna Committee has recommended keeping Andhra Pradesh united with Constitutional and Statutory measures for empowerment of the Telangana region "is the best way forward" while creating a separate state can be the "second best" option to tackle the statehood demand.

These are the two options among the six given by the five-member committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge BN Srikrishna which submitted its report to the Centre last week after holding wide-ranging consultations across Andhra Pradesh since February last year.

The committee itself found that the other four options -- maintaining status quo, bifurcating the state into Seemandhra and Telangana with Hyderabad as Union Territory and the states having their own capitals, bifurcation into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad as part of Rayala-Telangana and bifurcation into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a separate Union Territory -- made by it are not practicable.

It was also conscious of the possible opposition that may come from different quarters even to its two best options.

The committee recognised that the Telangana statehood demand is an emotional issue in the region and felt that the option of maintaining status quo could give a "fillip to the Maoist movement".

The report, eagerly awaited by the people of the state and elsewhere, was today made public by the home ministry even as home minister P Chidambaram met leaders of political parties from the state and promised them that the government wants to find a "just, honourable and practicable" solution that has the widest measure of support among all stakeholders.

Recommending keeping Andhra Pradesh united with constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region, the committee suggested creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council to be headed by an MLA with cabinet rank.

"The committee considers that unity is in the best interest of all the three regions of the state as internal partitions would not be conducive to providing sustainable solutions to the issues at hand," the two-volume 461-page report said.

In this option, it is proposed to keep the state united and provide constitutional/statutory measures to address the core socio-economic concerns about development of Telangana region.

"This can be done through the establishment of a statutory and empowered Telangana Regional Council with adequate transfer of funds, functions and functionaries in keeping with the spirit of Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956."

The committee said the united Andhra option is being suggested for continuing the development momentum of the three regions and keeping in mind the national perspective.

"With firm political and administrative management it should be possible to convey conviction to the people that this option would be in the best interest of all and would provide satisfaction to the maximum number of people in the state," the report said.

It would also take care of the uncertainty over the future of Hyderabad as a bustling educational, industrial and IT hub/destination.

The Telangana Regional Council would provide a legislative consultative mechanism for the subjects to be dealt with by the Council.

Apart from the Telangana Regional Council which will deal with planning and economic development, water and irrigation sector, education, local administration and public health, the committee favoured other confidence building measures like providing adequate political space to Telangana such as positions of chief minister or deputy chief minister and other key ministerial portfolios.

The committee said that although this model is considered to be in the best interest of all the people of the state, some segments of the Telangana population such as students and unemployed youth, non-gazetted officers, lawyers and farmers may not feel satisfied and may resort to violent agitations.

"It is possible that the MLAs/MLCs and MPs belonging to different parties in Telangana may be pressurised to resign in order to create a political crisis. It would indeed pose a serious challenge to the leadership to deal with this immediate backlash and the agitations which are likely to continue for a period of time," the report says.

"It is, however, also our anticipation that once the empowerment model as also the advantages of the state staying united have been understood by the people it would be possible for the government to contain and control the agitational activities and take the state towards economic growth and progress," it says.

However, it goes without saying that this option will receive a near unanimous acceptance by the people of coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and large segments of Hyderabad Metropolis.

"The committee discussed all aspects of this option and while it acknowledges that there will be certain difficulties in its implementation, on balance, it found it the most workable option in the given circumstances and in the best interest of the social and economic welfare of the people of all the three regions of the state," it says.

The report said the core issue being one of socio-economic development and good governance, the Committee, keeping the national perspective in mind, is of the considered view that this option stands out as the best way forward.

"This option, thus, suggests a model that carries forward the national goal of deepening and extending decentralisation and of sustaining inclusive growth. It is hoped that the model suggested here would be useful in addressing regional aspirations elsewhere in the country," the report says.

On the second best option of carving out Telangana and Seemandhra with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana, the committee said in this option there would be a clear division of Andhra Pradesh into two states -- Telangana and Seemandhra -- and in the interim Hyderabad will continue to house both the capitals till a new capital for Seemandhra is created.

For creation of a new capital, a large investment would be required, provision for which will have to be made both by the Union and the state governments, it said.

"This option implies accepting the full demands of a large majority of Telangana people for a separate state that will assuage their emotional feelings and sentiments as well as the perceived sense of discrimination and neglect," the report says.

The committee said its impression gained during its extensive tours of Telangana region indicated that a very large number of people from Telangana were highly supportive of the demand for a separate Telangana; an appreciable segment was found to be neutral; while some sections were not in favour of it.

The implications of this option are that if earlier agitations are anything to go by, this decision will give rise to serious and violent agitations in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, where the backlash will be immediate with the key issues being Hyderabad and sharing of water and irrigation resources.

"There will be every likelihood of pressure being put by the general public on the leaders of the political parties of Seemandhra region (MLAs/MLCs/MPs) to resign and fight for united Andhra Pradesh," it says.

The report said the agitation for separation of Rayalaseema from coastal Andhra may also start taking shape sooner than expected.

"Even though water and irrigation issues can be handled by creating autonomous/semi-autonomous structures, the apprehensions of the people of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema will continue to be voiced and the impact on internal security situation with the anticipated growth of Naxalism and religious fundamentalism," it says.

The report said the division of the state will also have serious implications outside Andhra Pradesh.

"It would not only give fillip to other similar demands but it will be for the first time, after the re-organisation of states, that a political demand for dividing a linguistically constituted state would have been conceded by the Union government with the creation of two Telugu speaking states," the report says.

The issue requires a most calm and dispassionate consideration of the consequences. The matter should also be seen in the larger context of whether a region can be allowed to decide for itself what its political status should be, as that would only create a demand for a great number of small states resulting in problems of coordination and management, the report says.

The committee is of the view that given the long history of the demand for a separate Telangana, the highly charged emotions at present and the likelihood of the agitation continuing in case the demand is not met (unless handled deftly, tactfully and firmly as discussed under option six), consideration has to be given to this option.

The grievances of the people of Telangana, such as non-implementation of some of the key decisions included in the Gentleman's Agreement (1956), certain amount of neglect in implementation of water and irrigation schemes, inadequate provision for education infrastructure (excluding Hyderabad), and the undue delay in the implementation of the Presidential order on public employment etc., have contributed to the felt psyche of discrimination and domination, with the issue attaining an emotional pitch.

"The continuing demand, therefore, for a separate Telangana, the Committee felt, has some merit and is not entirely unjustified.

"In case this option is exercised, the apprehensions of the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema people and others who have settled in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana with regard to their investments, properties, livelihood and employment, would need to be adequately addressed and confidence instilled that their safety and security would get the highest priority from the new dispensation.

"Considering all aspects, the Committee felt that while creation of a separate Telangana would satisfy a large majority of people from the region, it would also throw up several other serious problems as indicated above.

"The implications for the other two regions also cannot be ignored. Therefore, after taking into account all the pros and cons, the Committee did not think it to be the most preferred, but the second best option.

It said separation is recommended only in case it is unavoidable and if this decision can be reached amicably amongst all the three regions.