When union home minister P.Chidambram announced central government’s tactical approval for separate Telangana state, he must have been well aware of its repercussions. Separate Telangana state has been a long standing demand, intermittently going into sleep. But fast unto death undertaken by KCR, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, not only pulled it from hibernation but put it into the front. Public especially students joined in and it turned into a mass movement. KCR was adamant and doctors worried. Finally government at centre relented. Telangana went into celebration while rest of Andhra started sulking. It is just the start of the problem; major bone of contention will be Hyderabad. Elected representatives of rest of Andhra have already started resigning. I hope everything goes fine.
But the most devilish prediction any could make is the surge in similar demands for more states from other parts of India. Vidharbha( from Maharashtra), Harit Pradesh( from UP), Cooch Bihar( from Bengal and Assam), Bhojpur (from UP and Bihar), Mithalanchal (from Bihar), Bundelkhand( from MP and UP), Gorkhaland(from Bengal)…………list is long. It is demand of the hour of nip the bud in nascent. We can’t accept such demand at any cost though some of these do seem legitimate.
It would be better if centre brings in a resolution in parliament clearly redrawing the steps for creation of new states. Making the steps more stringent like clearly defining the minimum area, population, GDP, availability of natural resources and its ability to self sustain etc. for any new state resolution to be passed by state assemblies. A committee made of PM, Leader of Opposition, CM of state demanded to be bifurcated and CM of its neighboring states should screen any such resolution passed from state legislative assembly. If it is rejected by the screening committee, no such resolution could be brought in for, atleast, next fifty years. This committee should meet only once in two years, during CMs conclave in Delhi to save everybody’s time.
There was a time when the no. of council of ministers had become bone of contention. Horse trading was at its peak and each and every government was toppled by MLAs lured by lollypops like ministry. This menace was very well curbed by Vajpayee Govt. by limiting the maximum no. of ministers in a council by bringing in a resolution in parliament.
Something similar should be done currently, earliest the better, before Ajit Singhs of India smell the opportunity and bring another part of India to a standstill.
