The Central Government has finally decided to initiate the process of granting statehood to Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh. The Home Minister has made an announcement to this effect. It was obviously done to avert bloodshed on this highly emotive issue. The demand of a separate state of Telengana has been there for decades and the manner the government has capitulated to the blackmailing tactics adopted by the leader of the TRS who went on fast-unto-death does not augur well for the country. The state has been on the boil ever since Mr. Vidyasagar Rao upped the ante on his demands followed by mass resignations of MLAs and other perturbing developments. This gives an opportunity to examine the rationale behind opting for division, bifurcation and trifurcation and so on to solve the perennial problems arising out poor governance.
The Independent India witnessed creation of many such states which hardly served the purpose for which these were created. The Telegana region is one such region in the country which is bearing the brunt of malgovernance . The fruits of development have never reached this region. And as a result acute poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and ill-health stalk the landscape of the region providing fertile grounds for the extremists elements to operate. The state governments which ruled the state never applied their minds to finding solutions to this aspect and now fond hopes are being nurtured that creating a separate would be a panacea to all the ills which afflict Telegana. What a grand delusion!
If one turns his attention to the state of affairs in some of the newly created states , it can be easily established that creating states have not been sound moves. The Madhu Khoda episode is just a pointer to a dark reality in Jharkhand. Things are no better in Chattishgar.
The decision of the Central Government has given a fresh lease of life to similar demands in other parts of the country. There are demands fresh demands of division of Uttar Pradesh into Harit Pradesh, Purbanchal etc. The Gorkha Jana Mukti has called a 4-day Darjeeling Bandh to press its demand for a separate homeland. If the government goes on conceding the demands of separate states ,days are not far off when we would states created at district levels!