Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The Telangana issue

Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao has made a hash of his fast, which is supposed to have continued till a separate state of Telangana was achieved. Fasts are a Gandhian method of protest, meant to exert moral pressure on those unwilling to concede a just demand. If health does not permit a person to fast indefinitely, he should not resort to it in the first place. Mr. Rao could have opted for some other method to put pressure on the UPA Government.

J.V. Reddy,
Nellore, A.P.

Mr. Rao has called off his indefinite fast in two days. Is he playing a cruel joke on the people of Telangana who continue to repose their faith in him? I do not see any need for the creation of a separate Telangana.

S. Sudhir Kumar,
Hyderabad

The editorial "Stirring the Telangana pot" (Aug. 25) says the people of the Telangana region do not want to break away from Andhra Pradesh, a fact that became clear after the 2004 Assembly election. Both the Congress and the TRS fought the election on the common plank of a separate State of Telangana. Only after the TRS won significantly in the polls to the local bodies in 2003 by reviving the demand for a separate Telangana did the Congress align with it. The alliance won in the region because of the promise of a separate State. The people of the region have been discriminated against for five decades. The contention that they want to remain in Andhra Pradesh is unacceptable.

Nalla Ashok Kumar,
Bachannapet, A.P.

The suggestion of crafting a regional autonomy structure for Telangana within Andhra Pradesh by amending the Constitution if necessary is unrealistic. There are several regions in several States that are as backward as Telangana. The solution lies in splitting up unwieldy States for balanced regional development. If Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh could be split, there is no reason why the claims of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra cannot be considered.

K. Muthukumar,
New Delhi

While it may be true that a separate State of Telangana will lead to the development of the region, it will set a bad example. Whenever people feel their region is not treated well by the Government, they will start demanding a separate State.

D. Rajesh,
Karaikudi, T.N.

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