Answers to some shout-box queries – 9

21 Jun 07, 23:20

Vasudev: Sir, can u throw a light on the GO 610 in Andhra Pradesh regarding Telangana!!!

This is proving to be one of the most contentious issues in Andhra Pradesh today.

It is a pretty simple issue which is complicated by local politics. It is possible that what I write here may raise the hackles of many others. Nevertheless, let me give it a try.

The seeds for this issue were sown during the separate Telangana agitation that was launched way back in 1969. There was an agitation led by Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy agitating for a separate statehood for the Telangana region of AP. Indira Gandhi handled the agitation very well and ensured that the issue did not escalate. Basically, the Centre led by Indira Gandhi was of the view that there was no necessity for a separate state for the Telangana region and that a balanced development would suffice. However, in the process of containing the agitation, the political leaders in AP came to an understanding with the Central leaders in what came to be known as the Six Point formula. This was in 1973. It was intended to remove the misgivings then prevailing about the future of the State. It was intended to indicate the basic approach to promote the accelerated development of backward areas, a balanced development of the State as a whole and to provide equitable opportunities to different areas of the State in the matter of education, employment and career prospects in public services with a view to achieve a fuller emotional integration of the people of Andhra Pradesh. Consequent to this agreement, the Constitution was amended through 32^nd Amendment and in 1975 a Presidential Order was brought out with regard to organization of local cadres and regulation of direct recruitment.

With a view to give effect to this Presidential Order, a number of committees were constituted during the course of time and a number of orders were issued by the Government from time to time. One of the basic issues that had always agitated the people of Telangana was that people from other regions of the State viz., Andhra and Rayalaseema have garnered more government job opportunities than the people of Telangana region, in Telangana region. The current public posturing of parties is nothing but giving a vent to such feelings. The Presidential Order had laid down (broadly) that government jobs in the respective regions should be reserved for the local people to a large extent. The order further specified that the non-local persons holding such posts shall have to be allotted to the respective areas where they are ‘local’. But there are so many exceptions to this that it was soon realized that implementing the order is easier said than done. And political parties being what they are, have only articulated the problem when it suited them. So a party like TRS – Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which was formed with the sole objective of attaining statehood to the Telangana region, championed the cause of this implementation. All the brouhaha that we see daily in papers is nothing but the political games being played out by every party. All this will come to nothing and the order will anyway be implemented in course of time. The problems that are being seen and articulated will all be overcome during the course of time – when passions die down and better sense prevails over all the parties.

One of the major difficulties that is worth noting in implementing the order is – non-implementation of the order has also resulted in an integration of the so called non-local people in some other ‘local’ areas. If such people are now repatriated to their original ‘local’ areas, they would face integration problems there. The government seems to be not prepared to see this as a problem. It will have some repercussions. But in course of time these problems will fade away on their own – not because they have been recognized and solved, but because they are shoved under the carpet and are not likely to resurrect. My belief stems from possibilities like retirements. What happens when the people who had to be repatriated retire? And their place is filled up with ‘local’ people? This is a classic case of the problem fading away. This is quite likely because some people are bound to approach the courts seeking relief on one ground or the other. That will cause some delays in implementation and some people will stay back in their ‘non-local’ area and perhaps retire there.

But emotions being what they are and political parties not found wanting on whipping them up, it is quite possible that large scale repatriations do take place. But let us see how the events will roll.