It is time for the Congress to take the plunge and carve the state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh. There are many reasons to do so, not least the fact that historically, state boundaries get drawn and redrawn many times. When it became a republic, India was composed of 14 states. Now, at 28, it has double the number. Many states like Andhra Pradesh itself, were carved out of bigger entities after linguistic or ethnic movements.
The three newest states, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, were created as recently as 2000. State boundaries are not carved in stone, but need to adjust to local needs and politics. The argument for Telangana is simple: the region's people want out and a new state of their own. Statehood might give the backward region a chance to run things better. Indeed, there is evidence to show that smaller states carved out of bigger ones tend to do better than their parent states: in 2008-09, the average person in Jharkhand was 50% better off than the average Bihari, the average Chhattisgarh resident was 54% better off than someone in Madhya Pradesh and income per head in Uttarakhand was 95% more than that in Uttar Pradesh. Why should we doubt that Telangana, home to much forest and mineral wealth, could take off on a similar trajectory after becoming a state?
Most of the reasons for the Congress' chicken-hearted dither over Telangana do not exist any more. Its powerful chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy , an opponent of the idea of Telangana, is no more. Son Jaganmohan is a rebel who has just beaten the Congress in recent bypolls. The main opposition party, the TDP , oscillates opportunistically between pro- and anti-Telangana postures.
The current administration headed by Kiran Reddy has no platform. Creating Telangana will win the Congress many hearts and votes in the region, and stem the losses in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. It will also create the opportunity to create a new capital, with all the new spending and infrastructure that's required, away from Hyderabad. There is precious little to lose - and much to gain, from creating Telangana state. Get on with it.
The three newest states, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, were created as recently as 2000. State boundaries are not carved in stone, but need to adjust to local needs and politics. The argument for Telangana is simple: the region's people want out and a new state of their own. Statehood might give the backward region a chance to run things better. Indeed, there is evidence to show that smaller states carved out of bigger ones tend to do better than their parent states: in 2008-09, the average person in Jharkhand was 50% better off than the average Bihari, the average Chhattisgarh resident was 54% better off than someone in Madhya Pradesh and income per head in Uttarakhand was 95% more than that in Uttar Pradesh. Why should we doubt that Telangana, home to much forest and mineral wealth, could take off on a similar trajectory after becoming a state?
Most of the reasons for the Congress' chicken-hearted dither over Telangana do not exist any more. Its powerful chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy , an opponent of the idea of Telangana, is no more. Son Jaganmohan is a rebel who has just beaten the Congress in recent bypolls. The main opposition party, the TDP , oscillates opportunistically between pro- and anti-Telangana postures.
The current administration headed by Kiran Reddy has no platform. Creating Telangana will win the Congress many hearts and votes in the region, and stem the losses in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. It will also create the opportunity to create a new capital, with all the new spending and infrastructure that's required, away from Hyderabad. There is precious little to lose - and much to gain, from creating Telangana state. Get on with it.
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