Dr.JP calls for dialogue among Telugus to arrive at consensus

Lok Satta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash NarayanI today appealed to Telugus across Telangana and Seemandhra regions not to drown out each other’s voices that give vent to the desire for a separate State on the one hand and anguish over the State being cleaved on the other.

“It is supremely important to respect each other’s desires and it is our bounden duty to make them come true. And we know it can be done.”

Dr. JP asked people to realize that “the Congress Party is hell bent on subverting any peaceful solution for Telugus in favour of its own vested electoral interests. Through “its reckless and undemocratic methods” in conceding the legitimate demand for Telangana Statehood, the Congress has undermined. the federal structure. “The Congress will go down in history as having the singular distinction of not only derailing the country's economy, but also its democracy.”

In an open letter addressed to Telugu people, Dr. JP asked in anguish why he should be forced to choose between brothers in the glorious Telugu family. Why should one region burn today and the other tomorrow?

Dr. JP said he hears both voices – the one demanding statehood for Telangana and the other expressing anguish over the State’s bifurcation. The demand for Telangana, which was expressed in hushed tones decades ago, has become a powerful boom. “Although the voice has been politically manipulated repeatedly, it is still the people's voice. The people have expressed their desire in election after election in Telangana. It must, therefore, be accorded due legitimacy.”

Dr. JP said he is also witness to the tear-stained faces of Seemandhra people, their hearts bleeding over the division of the State. “Although, there is no dearth of political instigation here also, their emotion is real and must be duly recognized.”

Against such a backdrop, Dr. JP asked why there should be winners and losers within the family and why he should be forced to choose between the two brothers. This is not a zero sum game.

Dr. JP underlined that at Lok Satta leaders of tall stature from both Telangana and Seemandhra sit across the table and talk to each other about reconciling the legitimate demands of both sides because they believe in internal democracy.

Pointing out that the true meaning of democracy is to reconcile conflicting interests. Dr. JP challenged the Congress party to do it in the context of Andhra Pradesh. He said the Congress has no moral right to govern this country since it has demonstrated its incapacity in doing it.

“Everyone knows that when a State, created on the basis of language, is sought to be divided, that too when division involves a region with one of the biggest cities in the country and an economic hub, there is complexity. The pain and anguish caused can be imagined.”

Yet, the Congress Party acted in a reckless and undemocratic manner in conceding the legitimate demand for Telangana Statehood. It patently undermines the federal structure.

The Congress methods have “resulted in a conflict between an immovable object and an irresistible force. The way this anger is boiling over today, it can affect national unity and that is the worst the Congress could do to our country. The Congress will go down in history as having the singular distinction of not only derailing the country's economy, but also its federalism and democracy. These approaches remind us of the days of Emergency when the whole nation was converted into a jail, liberty was extinguished, and States’ rights were violated with contempt”.

Dr.JP recalled that our founding fathers' tryst with destiny led to the integration of the entire country without a single drop of blood being spilled. “Today, the Congress Party has made a farce of that legacy by staunchly refusing to build a consensus between the Telangana and Seemandhra stake-holders. Instead, it glibly plays hate politics and electoral games, watching idly as the State burns. Their current methods are totally unacceptable.”

“We are a federal republic. Parliament cannot ride roughshod over a State. I've begged so many times for this topic to be discussed.”