Telangana Demand Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 43, No. 46 (Nov. 15 - 21, 2008), p.

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= EDITORIALS

Demand Telangana
Thedemand statehas newtakers as theTelugu DesamParty tackon theissue. forTelangana changes
of the TeluguDesam Party(tdp) to support comingto support decision the demand fora separatestate.Eventhe ofa separate thecreation Telanganastateis a volteface. Congress Party,followinga Congress WorkingCommittee The decisionis also significant because the tdp is the resolution thatwas adoptedbefore the2004 assembly elections, inthestate andhashithero the aegis of a opposition party principal vociferously had promisedto take up the issue, through thetdp'smoves areaimedat secondstatereorganisation commission to lookintotheformaopposedsucha move.Itis clearthat in theTelangana The tdp had always tion of new states.Inactionand indifference attracting support region. by the Congress itself as a party witha base in all theTelugu-speaking forced thetrs to breakitsalliancewiththeparty and withdraw positioned Pradesh. fromthe United ProgressiveAlliance. The cpi(m), on the ofAndhra regions totheformation oftheTelangana otherhand, has consistently Thetdp split in2001leading of a new rejectedthe formation a separate state,arguing theagitation for thatthe neglect renewed ofthe region Samiti Rashtra can be rectified (trs), which by on prioritised so far.The trs alliance with the focusing of the backwardareas in state but with no returns development electionsin 2004 had hurtthe Andhra Pradesh. in the last assembly Congress it The formation of AndhraPradeshaftera concerted recentchange in positionhas brought tdp and the latter's moveof ment the the marked of the closertotheTelanganaparty, determined thereby creating possibility beginning linguistically an alliance againstthe rulingCongressPartyin the assembly federalreorganisation process. The coherentdivisionon a basis has, contrary to the fears expressedin the in 2009. elections linguistic that means the tdp's about-turn the democratic federalframecalculations Political mid-1950s, helped strengthen apart, work. the institutional state now and the mode of theideaofa separate Yet, currency among political enjoys set-up Telangana in state for the the within several stateshave all ofthemajor almost except development (primarily capitalist) parties political of India created intra-state The and the Communist to the demand non-committal Party disparities. opposition Congress, - cpi(m).Eventhenewly formed (Marxist) Praja Rajyam ofthe fora Telanganastateis positedon the logicthatthe creation that itis opentotheidea of such a state would open a Pandora'sbox forotherintrahas recently actor suggested Chiranjeevi state regionalareas to stake theirclaims forseparatestates ofa separate Telangana. was as well. This argumentunderestimates Pradesh the alienation of thestateofAndhra decadesafter Morethanfive that were backward areas the constituted regions. by merging Telugu-speaking withthelinguistic dominions Many grievancesgather emotive steam throughappeals partoftheNizamofHyderabad's That is when the logic of "linguistic areas of Madras Presidency, coterminous grievances over to culturaldifferences. loses suffers coherence" remain. The inevitably appeal. It is obvious that only a Telangana region lopsideddevelopment focus on can prevent suchsituations, but rates of frominadequate irrigation, removing disparities poorer poverty, higher to it requirespoliticalwill to address structural in comparison In and higherunemployment healthfacilities inequalities. and other other regionsin the state. One of the reasons for under- the case of Telangana,forexample,land reforms is the fact that Telangana inheriteda feudal socio-economicmeasures to address poverty and semidevelopment the days of the Nizam, feudalismshould be the immediateremedy.But with the from structure and economic political moreinterested in a modelofdevelopment to political successive reasonsrelateto thefailure other leadership governments by that is investment-driven and in the state. measures urban-centric, decidedly private promised implement in is it token to the of the of these grievances The persistence welfarism, possible prevent engagedonly among populace a newstate? the regionhas resultedin manya politicalpartyeventually demandfor

and Recommen- actualpopulation clusters and administrative underthe title:"Principles dationsforNationalPopulationCensuses." unitssuch as the"revenue village"),typesof in terms of family relabrief,in fact less than thirty householdstructure ...Although ano political affair* a Journalot Carrent (economic and economic It is deals withbasic prob- tionships, characteristics. pages, thedocument and administration, particularly in respectof this last subject lemsofcensusplanning VOL X, NOS 45 AND 46, NOVEMBER8, I958 have been voiced of topicson whichdata are to be col- that severe criticisms specific to be madeofthesedata, the questionsasked and tablesconstructed lected,tabulations EDITORIAL and possible auxiliaryuses of sampling in the Census of 1951. Hopes have been Census,Globedor National? methods... expressedthatthe nextCensusmayprovide inforIn connection with India's projected a widerrangeof significant economic series of forthe world-wide In preparation attachesto mation,and may presentit in a formdecensusesto be takenaroundthe yeari960, Census of 1961,special interest of size of locality(in which signed to facilitateits use for policy and version the discussions Nations has issueda final theUnited is made between planning distinction and procedures an important of its proposalson content purposes.
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weekly & Political Economic

13353 November 15, 2008

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