An Open Letter from NRI Telugus to Madam President and Mrs.Sonia

Found this on the Great Andhra website. Reproducing the map and the full text of the letter, adding emphasis where I find it relevant.

To,
The President of India,Rashtrapathi Bhavan,
New Delhi.

Respected Madam President,
We look forward to you for your kind intervention in the matter of the demand for a separate Telangana State, as it is engineered and pushed forward by self-seeking and short-sighted small - time power brokers, politically unemployed, arousing passions and raising a bogey of “non-development” --- the two hallmarks of the Telangana movement. It hardly needs a mention that edifice of their case is based on twisted facts and doctored statistics.

The movement has already taken its toll, and it is fast moving towards spreading disaffection and hatred among people.

Thus there is an urgent need to arrest the movement and call it a bluff. Even a casual look at the statistics cited in this exhaustive note would conclusively establish how fallacious their argument is. Far from the Telangana region not making any progress, it is this area which has registered phenomenal growth in almost all areas of development one could think of, when compared to both Andhra and Rayalseema regions.

Telangana’s growthIn 1955-56, there were about 22,000 schools in Andhra and Rayalseema regions whereas during the same period Telangana region had hardly 8000 schools. After about 50 years, the numbers rose to about 55,000 in Andhra and Rayalseema regions as against (about) 41,000 schools in Telangana region. Thus the percentage growth in the Telangana region was 413% whereas it was just about 155% in the other two regions put together.

Likewise, the percentage growth of enrolment in the Telangana region was about 916% whereas the growth was just 235% in Andhra and Rayalseema regions. Similarly there was a phenomenal increase in the number of teachers recruited in Telangana Region (366%), where as it was just normal (130%) in Andhra and Rayalseema region. Similar is the picture in respect of collegiate education too.

Barring one in Warangal and a few in the city of Hyderabad, there were absolutely no Science and Arts colleges in Telangana districts up to 1955-56, since there was no educational or other development worth its name till then. This was in direct contrast to what prevailed in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

In short, the formation of A.P. in 1956 was a boon to the children of Telangana region, (both urban and rural) and to-day they enjoy facilities for every type of education at their door step.
Likewise, the formation of the State also heralded a new era of agricultural development in the Telangana region in that, several irrigation facilities were launched resulting in phenomenal growth of different crops like rice, (284%) Cotton (1472%) and so on. The detailed statistical tables and the graphics abstracted from authentic government sources running to several pages - are being appended.

Even a casual browsing of the above figures would establish how shallow the bogey of “non-development” is, raised by those spearheading the Telangana agitation. While deciding an issue of this nature emotions and sentiments cannot obviously play a part and this is exactly what the so called leaders are arousing and playing with.

We request you, Madam President to be so kind as to consider the following detailed note and keep at bay the demands for separate Telangana state made with ulterior motives. By taking a firm stand you will be carving a niche for yourselves in the annals of the country, as a head of the state who took long term view and firmly stood for the integrity of the nation.

Distortion of facts:
The allegation that Telangana region has not developed or has developed less than the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions is totally baseless. Actually, after the formation of the linguistic state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, it is the Telangana region that has fared much better than the other two regions. This is not surprising because the capital city of Hyderabad is in the Telangana region.

It is a universally acknowledged that development takes place most in and around the capital city. This is true of even the city of Delhi. A foreign writer described Delhi an artificial city because, in its enormous development, it is not representative of the rest of India. Actually, the same is true of most of national capitals and even of state capitals in a federation.
The clamour for separation comes normally from the regions away from the capital. In the case of Telangana, surprisingly, the clamour for separation is from the region which has benefited most. However a little probe would establish that the clamour is not from the grassroots but from the self-seeking political brokers.

Greater beneficiary:
After 1956, most of the institutional and industrial developments have taken place in and around the capital city of Hyderabad, though the city had no infrastructural facilities like power, water, transport, access to a port etc. It didn’t have even abundant raw material resources. Because of the Central and State investments, many ancillary Industries have sprung up in this region. The necessary personnel to man the industries have migrated to Hyderabad not only from Andhra Pradesh but from other parts of India as well. This phenomenon has benefited Telangana most. The rest of Andhra Pradesh didn’t see such development, but the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions are not grumbling.

As far as irrigation is concerned, before the formation of the state in 1956, there were no irrigation projects except Nizamsagar in Telangana region. There were some projects in the other two regions like Dhawaleswaram dam on Godavari, Prakasam barrage on Krishna, KC canal from Tungabhadra, dam on Penna , Kanigiri reservoir etc. After the formation of the State, Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam, Somasila. Sriramsagar, Lower Maneru projects have come up. Of these, Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects have benefited both Telangana and Andhra regions. Somasila benefited Nellore district for irrigation, besides supplying drinking water to Tirupati and Chennai. Sriramsagar and Lower Maneru projects are exclusively for the benefit of Telangana. Considering all these it can not be said that Telangana has been deprived by any stretch of imagination.

After the formation of the State, it is the Telangana region that has developed industrially most. Also, all the major service industries like IT and Tourism etc. have developed mostly in Hyderabad city and around. The other two regions have remained virtually stagnant. They remained agricultural as they were at the inception, barring the lone exception of Visakhapatnam.

The other absurd allegation that Telangana has been exploited by the rest of Andhra Pradesh is a travesty of facts. The capital has flown from rest of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana, and not the other way round. The flow of capital has been only a one way street. The generation of employment consequent to fresh investment has taken place only in Telangana region, particularly, in and around Hyderabad. There is nothing surprising about the industries tapping, for technically trained manpower requirements from all over the country, and from other regions of Andhra Pradesh.

Lack of mass base:
In spite of such impeachable facts about the development of the Telangana region, if there is still a clamour for separation, it can only be because of the politically disgruntled class and other vested interests and self-seeking government employees. It is worth noting that the TRS which spearheads the movement for separation has seen a gradual decrease in its share of the voters in the various elections that have taken place in recent years. Had the TRS had a real mass base, it would not be craving for alliances with other parties. The very fact that the TRS is eagerly searching for political partners would show how diffident it is. Likewise, political parties too want to jump on the band wagon with an eye on the ensuing elections.

It needs to be noted that Telangana started from a lower development base. For ages, it was under the Nizam’s rule, whereas the rest of Andhra Pradesh was under the British rule, which was relatively better off, with greater facilities for education under the British government and lesser social suppression of the weaker classes.

Inequalities between regions because of historical and other reasons are such that they cannot be wiped off in a day. What is needed is to judge whether regional imbalances are being gradually minimized over a period. Judged by this standard, Telangana region has benefited more by its integration than the other two regions. Thus the shoe is on the other foot.

A slogan of culture of Telangana being in jeopardy and that its self-respect is damaged is again a bogey. In these days of global integration, no region’s culture is in tact. Every region benefits from its exposure to global culture. Concepts like individual dignity and freedom from servility have spread even in a stifled atmosphere of Telangana region after the formation of the state. If separate Telangana should happen, there is the danger of a reversion to the original state - when the servant can not see the master in the eye and he will be obliged to carry his chappals. Such slavery was widespread in Telangana region and not in the rest of Andhra Pradesh.

Pining for slaves:
The dominant castes/ classes feel deprived because, after integration, they don’t enjoy their old power and privileges. In a separate Telangana, it is exactly the minorities, the dalits, the tribes from the hills, and the landless working class that will suffer the most and will see an erosion of their dignity and relative freedom which they have slowly got after integration. The so called loss of culture or self-respect is more a call for the restoration of the old privileges on the part of the exploiters than anything else.

Historically speaking, the word Telangana originally meant only a region of the Telugu speaking people. The Telugus were united under 1) Andhrasathavahanas, 2) Kakatiyas 3) Vijayanagara empire and 4) even Nizam before certain districts were ceded by him to the British. It is interesting to know that, at the beginning of the 16th century, it was the coastal and adjoining region that was shown as Telangana in a Map from the book “India-A History” by John Keay (Page: 280) Publisher: Harper Collins.(Copy enclosed).

The formation of a separate state of Andhra Pradesh is a culmination of the dream of all Telugu people and the result of the sacrifices of so many patriotic people. The dream should not be allowed to be shattered by the machinations of a few short-sighted, self-seeking, and power-hungry, political activists. The political parties are toeing the line and are aligning only for drawing political mileage. They have no other interest except self- interest and short term gain.

The so-called “sentiment” (which is more a catchy slogan) is limited to the power brokers. If at all there is some “sentiment, it is because of the ignorance of the masses and because the relevant facts and figures are not made known to them. So there is an urgent need to make available the correct facts and figures to the masses and to educate them. This can best be done by the government in power.

The Telangana movement has been whipped up at different points of time by the politically disgruntled elements. Similarly, a counter movement for a separate Andhra region was also seen in the past. The Central leadership of those times stood rock-like and didn’t yield. There is a need to exhibit the same determination even today when political morality in generally is at its lowest ebb.

If Central leadership yields to every passing whims of “sentiment” or to the machinations of the self-declared defenders of regional interests, it will eventually lead to the balkanization of the country.

There are a number of Hindi speaking states. But that exception apart, linguistic states have a cultural unity of their own, and this unity deserves to be nurtured and promoted.

There is yet another aspect of the matter. The Dalits and minorities have a unity all over the country which the rest of the population doesn’t enjoy. So the Dalits and minorities will have a greater say in a larger state. They are more vulnerable in a smaller state.

Considering that we are passing through troubled times now, we look forward to you to be as firm and steadfast as central leadership of the fast, in not entreating bifurcation of states any further.

With respectful regards,
Yours sincerely,
United NRI Telugu People.Dallas, TX, USA.

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Ok..some of the points I have mentioned in my earlier posts find some echo in the above email.They have provided some data points but I wish they'd provided the sources as well. But I think finding the sources is not that difficult. The Government, in fact, if it wishes so, can come out with a white paper as well.

But I wish to make a different point now.
One of the greatest modern Telugus, Gurajada Appa Rao said:
దేశమంటే మట్టి కాదోయ్, దేశమంటే మనుషులోయ్ !

Translated it means that a country does not mean its land (or land alone), a country means its people. Going by that logic, Telangana's development should not be measured by what was 'spent' or 'invested' here, but more importantly, in terms of how the quality of life has improved for the common people of Telangana. It is true that most investment and industrial development has occurred in Telangana, and especially the immediate hinterland of Hyderabad, but to me the greatest beneficiaries of this development are the settlers from coastal AP.It is not as if the regular Telangana people did not benefit, but the coastal AP people possibly benefited more.

And there is nothing wrong in that actually. The coastal AP people took more risks, relocated to various parts of Telangana, and especially to the Twin cities, and made the land their home. They deserve the success.

However, the question of local Telangana people remains.Why is it that, inspite of the enormous advantage of Hyderabad, inspite of rich natural resources, and well-planned irrigation projects, large sugar factories, tourism, and educational facilities, the local Telangana people could not take full advantage? Rayalaseema folks at least have the excuse of not having all these advantages to explain the region's backwardness. Seems to me Telangana is rich, but Telangana people are not.

Why is this so? I simply won't buy the 'lazy folks' angle.It is a stupid statement and does not hold water at all.I also do not want to categorize them as 'gullible, innocent' etc, the way some of the Telangana activists seem to revel in describing.And I won't stand for any generalization that Coastal AP people are 'cunning'. It does not do justice to their entrepreneural ability and hard working nature.

May be the answer lies in the feudal casteist structures of Telangana.The whole of AP is mired in casteism, no doubt about it.But Telangana is much more feudal than North Andhra and Rayalaseema, which are more feudal than Coastal AP. Krishna, Guntur, Nellore, Prakasam and the Godavari districts are also full of casteist rivalries, but I think the feudal structures vanished there during the British rule itself.

A 'mai-baap' culture, or to use a Telangana term 'baanchan dora' culture ( baanchan dora = I am your slave, Sir!) possibly enervates the soul and makes the sons and daughters of the soil, not very confident in their own abilities, in determining their own futures. True, thousands of Telangana peasants and bonded labourers sacrificed their lives in the communist struggle against feudal lords just before and after Independence. But the tradition of revolt was not channelised into an aspiration for growth through democratic means. Instead, the continuation of feudal structures ensured that the peasants ended up being guided by Maoists (Naxalites), who could not think of a world beyond 'revolution at gun point'. In contrast, the communist movements in coastal AP tended to be part of a democratic mainstream.

So, feudalism, naxalism, and resultant lack of enterprise - are these the main reasons for local Telanganas not prospering as much as the settler Andhra people? Looks possible to me. I would be happy to hear any alternative explanations though.

Is President's rule the only option left, for now?

I was hoping to tackle the issue of Telangana Vs. Samaikya Andhra (Unified AP) from various angles today.However, a discussion on the economic and cultural issues and the 'victimhood narrative' of Telangana, Rayalaseema and Kalinga Andhra has to wait, because the political issues have come to fore again.

Before reviewing the current political scenario, I just want to make it clear regarding where my affinities lie.The question of separate statehood has surely become an emotional issue for many people.And I don't want the emotions to cloud over a dispassionate analysis of the issues involved.

I am 37.5 years old and lived for 11 years each in Telangana (Bodhan, Mahboobnagar and Hyderabad) and Rayalaseema (Nandyal and Kadapa).I have also spent a few early years in Vijayawada and my wife hails from Guntur district, not to speak of the many friends I have from all parts of the state.I am sure there are lakhs of people like me who straddle all three areas of the state. To expect us to choose one area over the other is not just 'divisive', it is also impractical.

Having said that, I have genuine reasons for wanting Andhra Pradesh to remain as-is, without any bi or tri-furcation. But these arguments, as I have mentioned earlier, should wait for a few days more. Right now, we are looking at a real possibility of President's Rule in AP.

Question 1: Why has it come to this pass?

Question 2: Who is benefiting (or will benefit) from this situation?

Question 3: What options do we have as people? What could be a win-win solution for all of us?

In one of my earlier blog posts, I mentioned that Aditya, Assistant Editor of Andhra Jyothy daily, seems to be one of those rare journalists these days, who seem to combine excellence in investigation with a neutral approach.I was awaiting Aditya's take on the Telangana issue - the whys and wherefores of the political developments especially- and he has not disappointed me.

In a brilliant piece of analysis, Aditya laid bare the genesis of the current stalemate, and has spared no one.Here's the link to the article, if you can read Telugu.

If you are not comfortable reading Telugu, please read my summary below:

"The Congress high command, with the strategic vision of making Rahul Gandhi the PM in 2014, has accepted the reality that in AP, after YSR's demise, the Congress party is losing its hold over the masses, and is also not in full control of the state unit.It has brought the Telangana pawn into play with two aims: to control an increasingly intransigent YS Jagan, and to eliminate the threat of Chandra Babu Naidu's TDP, which is steadily recovering its eroded base.Naidu has also demonstrated his ability earlier to act as a catalyst for unifying diverse opposition parties at the national level.

By dividing the state, the high command sought to weaken the Reddy community's political clout, and there by weaken Jagan.A separate Telangana will also mean the TDP loses relevance in the new state and will have to fight for survival in the Andhra state.To achieve these aims, the high command opened a channel directly with KCR (who was down and out after the recent poll reverses and large scale migration from TRS to INC), and took care not to involve either CM Rosaiah or any other Congress leaders from AP. Importantly, even the AP state police and intelligence were also not taken into confidence.

The INC coterie around Sonia comprising Ahmed Patel, Chidambaram, Pranab Mukherjee and A.K.Antony took up the implementation of this plan, with Ahmed Patel playing the key role.

However, as the plan was not divulged to the CM or state police, these people acted independently, resulting in some unintended consequences.Even though the high command kept intervening in the background and instructed the state govt on the next steps without indicating the overall plan, the events went out of hand, primarily because KCR, who was confined to the jail, lost communication with the high command in between and started suspecting that he is simply being exploited by the coterie.

As KCR's fast went beyond a week, the state govt tried to intervene through mediators.But Rosaiah received strict indications from the high command that he need not worry about the agitation because it (high command) is aware of the situation and will take the required steps at the right time.Rosaiah, who was kept out of any of the important discussions, then decided to just keep quiet.

Finally, when he was called to New Delhi, but was asked to wait outside while the Congress Core Committee had its deliberations, Rosaiah sent a Note to the Union Cabinet and INC high command with his recommendations.

Rosaiah was eventually called in, and asked his views about the law and order situation in AP.The CM provided the state intelligence reports that said over 3 lakh people were expected to congregate in Hyderabad for the Chalo Assembly rally and the violence could result in 2000 deaths. The core committee advised the CM to 'leave everything to us, go home and give a glass of lime water to KCR to make him call off the fast'. When Rosaiah refused to meet KCR (Kumar: Some spine finally !), he was simply asked to get back to Hyderabad and await the decision.

When Chidambaram announced the decision to create Telangana at 11.30 PM, it took KCR and the rest of the Telangana activists by surprise.It also shocked the Seema and Coastal AP leaders into disbelief because all along they felt that any decision for Telangana would only be made after due consultations with all three regions. They implicitly trusted the INC high command to follow this process than take a unilateral decision."

Wow ! that is one hell of an article by Aditya, isn't it? It fits in exactly with the thinking process of Congress' Delhi leaders.

But do I have any sympathies for Cong leaders from rest of AP? Any for TDP at all? NO.

1.All along, the Cong leaders of Rayalaseema and Coastal AP were asked to lie low and not utter any thing against Telangana.Especially, people like Undavalli Arun Kumar and Lagadapati Rajagopal have had their data and arguments ready to prove that the 'victimhood theory' is just a theory and has no basis in reality. But they kept quiet because high command did not want any one to voice their opinions.These leaders lacked the spine and clarity of values to fight for a cause they believed in (a unified AP), and they are all regretting their silence now.I donno..may be its too late in the day.

2.The TDP supremo, Chandra Babu Naidu, seems to be believe in the 'image' that he is a master strategist when it comes to political moves.Looks to me, he has not learnt his lessons, even after YSR upstaged him several times.Now that YSR is no longer around, CBN had the chance to at least come clean on the issues and take a principled stand.He did not do that because he was really not sure which way the wind would blow. The Cong high command literally toyed with him by keeping silent on their preference.Naidu is now a committed pro-AP person again, and is on the verge of losing all credibility. However, all is not lost for him, yet.He can rise to the situation, if he gets rid of the tendency to look for short term gains all the time.

3.It is of no use discussing the stands of BJP, PRP, Lok Satta and the like.These parties and their leaders are not of any relevance in this issue now.

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I think I have made a reasonable attempt to answer the first two questions I have raised earlier in this post. Now for the third question: What now?

1.The UPA Govt, after weighing all the pros and cons, may want to ride over the current crisis (of their own making), by putting the Telangana issue on a backburner.It may just buy them some time. But what they have done, through their cynical manipulation of an emotive issue, is to push AP back to the early 1970s. The whole state is divided now on regional basis and people may find it difficult to forget and become normal again, especially with the 24-hr news channels making the most of the crisis and inflaming the passions of people.

2.President's rule is an option but again it will only delay the inevitable.No one wants fresh elections, but a threat of assembly dissolution may also not bring the MLAs on board quickly.Instead, it could snowball into a bigger issue, threatening even the UPA Govt at the centre. The high command has to do a very fine balancing act now.

3.The agitators on the unified AP front seem to have no clue on what to do now.They are wasting their energies by doing rail roko, rasta roko, burning buses and vandalising public and private properties.If any impatient Police Officer opens fire on one of these mobs, the situation is bound to worsen.

4.Frankly, I find it counter productive that the pro-AP folks are agitating in Rayalaseema and Coastal AP.What is the point? Any way, the masses in these areas are for unified AP. Instead, the energies should be creatively focused on Telangana.

Here's what I suggest they do:

A.Get all the Tollywood actors, actresses and other creative people (writers, playwrights, dancers etc) to form groups and travel around Telangana, mobilising public opinion for a unified state.It is a well known fact that the entire Telugu film industry desires a status quo. Also, popular poets like C.Narayana Reddy should come out openly in favor of a unified AP.

B.Both Chandra Babu Naidu and YS Jagan should join hands and bring all pro-AP Telangana leaders from both their sides, to work towards changing the public perception on this issue. It will call for great statesmanship and temporary blurring of political rivalries, but what is more important than the future of the state? Of course, once the aims are achieved, they can contest against each other on developmental planks and let the public decide who they want.

C.Let there be a public debate where not just leaders of political parties, but also intellectuals from all walks of life take part.Let us have both sides present their cases.If, as being claimed, the Telangana activists can present a convincing case with facts (and not emotions), it will at least become easier to go separate ways amicably than the current bad blood. Undavalli Arun Kumar has, this morning, asked for such a debate in the AP assembly, but I think it should happen in public space as well.

D.Lastly, there can be no question that if a Telangna state is formed, Hyderabad would be part of that state.But that should not mean Hyderabad will be restricted for Telangana people.Let the Twin Cities continue on their journey to become global cities, and drive the economic growth of the catchment area.Allow people from any where in the country or the world, to come and engage in fruitful economic activity in Hyderabad.Telangana activists should know that big cities like Hyderabad really belong to the nation, and not just a local identity.We are not as cheap as the MNS folks, are we?

I am hoping that in the next few days, the political scenario will become a little stable, allowing me to spend some time on investigating the claims of under development and discrimination on all sides.And try to form my own opinion on what is really best for the state, and in general, the entire small states argument vis-a-vis, administrative efficiency and accessibility to people.Local self-governance is what I truly believe in.But a new state has to make sense too.

Telangana Issue - What exactly is going on?

Like most of us, I have been observing the mess going on - with my own eyes and ears on the streets of Hyderabad, and on the TV channels, newspapers, and of course, the internet.

I am planning to do a detailed post/s over the weekend on this. However, I have already been part of a debate or two on some blogs, and to start with, I would like to post a lengthy comment that I did on Sepia Mutiny this morning.

Here's my comment:

1.It is not true that Telangana was merged with Andhra immediately after the 1948 police action.Hyderabad state was formed and it had a separate existence till 1956, when both Hyderabad and Visalandhra were merged to form AP.There was a Gentlemen's Agreement between leaders of all three areas (similar to the earlier Sreebagh Pact between Rayalaseema and Coastal AP for Visaalandhra) before this happened.The movement to merge was as strong in Hyderabad state as it was in Andhra.The name 'Telangana' itself means 'land of Telugus'.

2.English education spread more rapidly in Coastal AP than in Telangana during the pre-indepedence days because of the British rule Vs Nizam rule difference.This also led to the faster rise of intermediary castes in Coastal AP (much like neighbouring TN). Compared to Coastal AP, feudalism is still much stronger in Telangana and Naxalism is almost a direct fallout of the feudal atrocities on the rural poor.

3.The British built better irrigation facilities in areas under their control (obviously, for better tax collection) and also better communication and transport infrastructure. So, when the state of AP was formed, there was a significant gap between Hyderabad and Coastal AP. Rayalaseema, though part of Visalandhra was as backward as Telangana or more, but that's a different story.

3.Post-state formation, several Government Orders were put in place (Mulki rules for example), to ensure that Telangana people don't lose out in competition against the better educated and organized Coastal Andhras.Telangana terrain was not suited for major irrigation projects and therefore the Govt went for medium and smaller irrigation projects in Telangana such as Nizam Sagar, Sriram Sagar and the like.The major industries were sought to be equally distributed between the three areas, but if one looks at it, most of the major PSU industries (BEL, BHEL, ECIL to name a few) have gone to Telangana and some to Vizag - almost none to Rayalaseema.

4.The separate Telangana movement and the Jai Andhra movement in the late 60s and early 70s were quite violent compared to the Telangana movement in the 1990s and 2000s.KCR, till recently, used to take pride in the fact that his movement has been non-violent with not a single life lost due to the cause.That it has changed now, can be correlated to the weakening of Naxal movement in Telangana after the IT boom, and the Naxals who moved to Chattisgarh have now infiltrated the ranks of Telangana agitators.It is a well known fact that most ideologues of Telangana movement are also sympathisers of the Maoist movement.Kakatiya University which is completely dominated by Maoist elements is also the fountainhead of Telangana ideology.

5.The politicians of Telangana (Congress and TRS mainly) see the issue as their only route to power.BJP also sees a chance to become a king maker if not a king, in a separate Telangana.

Interestingly, the CPM and CPI leadership in AP is not enthusiastic about Telangana even though their strength in AP is mainly in Telangana districts. (I think they don't see eye to eye with their Naxal brethren.)

So, it is no wonder that ABVP activists in OU are in the forefront of the current agitation.And the Congress leaders who are pro-Telangana, who had lost their voice during YSR's reign have now found a fresh energy.

6.The situation as of now, is leading to some very inane conspiracy theories in the local media. I was watching a discussion on a Telugu channel this morning where the panelists were alleging the following:

(a) Sonia/CWC see a risk in the dependency on AP with 42 LS seats.They know that YSR is not around to win them over 35 in 2014.They feel that by giving Telangana, they can count on majority of seats from the new State.That way, they will be reducing the dependency on YS Jagan or YSR's legacy.

(b)Chidambaram from TN and Veerappa Moily from KN are being influenced by lobbies from their home states. A unified AP is fast emerging as a financial, business and health care hub in South India.A divided AP will be weaker because the richer Coastal AP businessmen will lose the Hyd advantage. Also, upper riparian States like Maharashtra and KN see an advantage in dealing with a smaller Telangana than a large state such as AP.

(c)Veerapa Moily is also being influenced by senior Congress leaders from Telangana.

(d)Sonia Gandhi thinks its easier to manage the state congress units of two smaller states than that of a larger state with powerful Rayalaseema leaders such as YS Jagan.On one hand, Telangana leaders will be beholden to her and OTOH, caste equations in rest of AP will ensure Congress dominance there as well.

So, there are theories and more :)

The common people in Telangana have never shown the required enthu for a separate state as is evidenced by the election results time and again. And as for Telugu culture, Telangana has always contributed more than its share through its poets, scholars, painters, and the like.Some of the most noble kings of south india were from Telangana.Some of the best Telugu and Prakrit poets.A Jnanpith award winner for Telugu.A scholar-politician (PVNR).A robust culture of scientific (esp.metallurgical) innovation from medieval ages.

My own take on the issue, so far:

People of Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana are like brothers.When brothers want to divide the house and go their separate ways, the discussions have to be among them.Not imposed by a high command at mid night.AP is not Sonia's birthday cake that she can cut into pieces and give away.We need to sit down and discuss again - have a gentlemen's agreement if required. And put the whole issue through a democratic process where people will decide and not rulers in Delhi. As long as Delhi doesn't understand this 'Telugu sentiment', any solution is bound to fail and result in violence.
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If you read the Sepia Mutiny post on the Telangana issue, it is obvious that the blogger Amardeep, who is otherwise quite knowledgeable about India, has chosen to form his opinion about the issue by reading the BBC.And the lack of proper awareness about the history behind the issue is there for all of us to see. But to his credit, Amardeep mentions his relative lack of awareness of the 'history in depth' and says he 'would be glad to be enlightened by readers who know the region better than I do'. And his request has been taken up happily by many readers, including my self. So far so good.

Then I chanced upon another article, this time from a British news paper, where its Delhi correspondent wrote absolute filth masquerading as a news-opinion piece. I simply have no words to say because I am disgusted by the lack of journalistic skill or knowledge of subject exhibited by the piece. Such is the nature of the Western world's expertise on India, and we routinely quote them to attack our fellow Indians.

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Coastal AP and Rayalaseema have almost come to a stand still today and the situation may continue through the weekend. On Monday, the action is likely to shift to Hyderabad again, when the Assembly resumes, and Congress LS member from Vijayawada, Lagadapati Rajagopal (better known for being the richest Congress MP in India and son-in-law of late Parvataneni Upendra) is going to start a fast demanding the introduction of Telangana bill in AP assembly and allowing secret ballot to determine its fate. But things could change between now and then.
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The other option, if Sonia were to behave like Indira Gandhi did, is to bypass the State Assembly (the Constitution allows that), and introduce a bill directly in Parliament. But again, Congress will be forced by its own MPs and weight of public opinion across the country to introduce a bill for the nine or ten demands for separate states :)

I doubt if Sonia and her advisers will take that route and allow the ruckus to spread from Hyderabad to rest of the country's legislatures and to the Parliament it self, endangering the UPA Govt. If push comes to shove, Congress may cut losses in AP, and either go for assembly dissolution or (and you won't believe this) ask Rosaiah to step down and ask CLP to elect its leader. Any thing's possible in politics.

More later as the situation develops.