Ever since KCR went on a fast everyone started singing, irrespective of which political party they belonged to. Some sang prematurely. Some in a haste and some changed tunes frequently. It was as if there was a singing competition going on in the country, only that this time it was on news channels instead of Star Plus or Colors or Sony. It was Congress who initially supported this demand but backtracked later only to agree to it  when condition of KCR became critical and now they are again in the process of changing their tune when PM Manmohan Singh said that all issues would be considered before this decision is taken. TDP joined the chorus when they agreed to support a separate state of Telengana and then just recently they too changed their tune when their MPs and MLAs suddenly started quitting the assembly en masse against center’s decision.

Like I said in my post Will Congress lose Telengana?, Congress is on a very sticky wicket indeed. The way they have gone about handling the issue of Telengana has been so naive and childish that one can only pity the powers that be. After having changed their stand on Telengana overnight Congress has now changed it’s tune once again by putting it back on hold in order to get their own house in order before they go ahead with the process of creation of the state. As was all but natural demand for creation of other states has also gained momentum, to which Pranab Mukherjee has said that their demands cannot be equated with that of Telegana. Well, I think Congress is going to develop a problem in their knees, going by the number of knee jerk reactions by the party one after another. And I believe Dr Manmohan Singh indeed has a bad knee already. Jokes apart, but the way this entire thing has been handled is nothing but kiddish wherein a much deeper thought to what they were announcing or doing has not been given. You do not govern in this manner. Why didn’t they consult their party MP’s from Andhra before making the announcement? Why didn’t they consider that demand for other states will crop up? Ridiculous, to say the very least.

The entire problem has to be considered holistically. There is no denying the fact that there may be a case of genuine requirement of creating a few more smaller states. You cannot just brush away every other demand with one stroke while you accede to one. Or is it just first come first served basis? I know it sounds crazy but the way Pranab Mukherjee has dismissed the other demands sounds like it is. By saying that this was a very old demand also does not justify this action. I mean, are we deciding this issue based on it’s past history or whether it is being done based on the present situation in those regions? It’s something like a class teacher openly displaying favoritism towards one student while telling the others to shut up. You can see for yourself how ridiculous the whole things sounds.

By no means am I suggesting that all new states should be created as some people are demanding. What I’m indeed saying is that each of these demands has to be looked into with an open mind. You cannot really justify creation or non creation of smaller states with just one reasoning and say that it will be or won’t be done. Fact is that if the state has been able to govern and deliver the way it should then there is no need for a smaller state, like possibly Saurashtra, but in case the region is indeed lagging behind the rest of the state, in that case their demand may be considered. I know I spoke against creation of Harit Pradesh in my post A Muslim state within India?, but my argument was based on the fact that this could lead to Islamic fundamentalism. And I still stand by it. Caste or religion cannot be a deciding factor. Our current set up was based on language and we can now see that this too was not perfect, though at the time it was done this was indeed the best approach. But times have changed and so must we.

In my view there is nothing against having smaller states. Not only will it deliver better governance but it will also create jobs and opportunities for millions of Indians when new capital cities are made which require better and modern infrastructure. As for governance, thats no brainer. Smaller population means better reach for the government unlike now when quite a large percentage are out of reach of our govt’s various poverty alleviation programs. Even in the case of Harit Pradesh, it has to be handled in a manner that if the state is indeed carved out Muslims do not comprise the largest group. Some would say that this is a biased opinion but it’s not. You can read my post (linked above) and then decide for yourself. Not to forget that we are Indians and most of us only deliver under supervision. Having smaller states will ensure that various schemes and projects are closely supervised by ministers and bureaucrats in the states. Those critics who say that it is not smaller states but good governance which is the solution. Well, if good governance was possible it would have happened by now. And it will not happen in a jiffy either. The solution may well lie in having smaller states which can deliver good governance.

The only concern which some political parties, especially Congress, have is that creation of smaller states will throw up a whole lot of new smaller yet influential leaders within the party which will lead to factionalism within the party. Also, the current demand has also a lot to do with political aspirations of some of these people like Ajit Singh, who dreams of becoming the CM of Harit Pradesh. The second consideration could be the cost factor but this can be handled by going ahead with the creation of new states in stages, possibly one or two in every year. Which one should be made first can be decided based on the poverty level in that region. Whichever region is most backward should be considered first and likewise.

Having seen whatever there is here’s what I think Congress needs to do urgently.

Firstly, remove K Rossaih as CM of Andhra and put someone more authoritative and who has more public support, like Jagan (son of YSR) in his place. If he is made the CM he will toe the party line. He has a large following amongst masses and MLAs. Also, Congress needs to fast track creation of Telengana. They can’t possibly go entirely back again. It would be suicide. Issue of Hyderabad too needs to be amicably resolved.

Secondly, convince KCR to join Congress and install him as first CM of Telengana. He will if he is indeed made the CM and one odd vacancy for ministership at the center.

Thirdly, make an all party committee to look into each of these demands for other states. This should be a relatively large committee comprising of seven to eight MPs from each major party. To save time this should then be further subdivided into sub committees to look into each demand separately. They should be given three or four months time at the max to submit their recommendations. The local MPs of the regions must be made part of these committees so as to give the local touch and credence to the recommendations made by them. Pertinent to mention that BJP has supported demands for having smaller states.

Fulfillment of justifiable aspirations of its citizens and effective governance are the two most important jobs which any govt has to achieve. If creation of smaller states can help the govt achieve that then I really don’t see a problem. Congress needs to stop changing tunes at the drop of a hat. That is to say that they have to synchronize their entire gana before they go ahead with Telengana.

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Posted on December 13th, 2009 India calling • Tags: Ajit Singh, BJP, Congress, Harit Pradesh, KCR, Telengana. • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback