STATE OF DENIAL

Centre must announce a reorganisation commission to meet statehood demands. The Union government seems to be in a fix over the Telangana demand. Opinion in Andhra Pradesh continues to be polarised and a consensus has so far eluded the government. Besides, the success of Telangana supporters has revived similar demands for statehood across the country. A solution that satisfies everyone is easier said than done, but the governments hope that the issue will resolve on its own with time is fraught with risk.

A clarification on how the government intends to satisfy the contrasting demands of legislators from Andhra Pradesh is expected any time now. A team of legislators from Telangana met the Congresss national leadership on Monday and demanded that a time frame be fixed to announce the formation of the new state. An all-party joint action committee on Telangana has called for a bandh on Wednesday. Rallies and other forms of protest have also been announced. Politicians from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema are likely to respond with their own agitations. Ever since the Telangana agitation began, the administration in Andhra Pradesh has come to a standstill. A host of ministers have refused to take back their resignations and attend office. Its necessary that the Union government gets proactive and breaks the logjam in the state.

Instead of exploring options like ministerial committees to further study the Telangana demand as had been reported in a section of the media the Centre must go for a new states reorganisation commission (SRC). The statehood demand is not restricted to Telangana. The subnationalism thats driving the Telangana movement has found resonance in UP, Maharashtra and West Bengal. These sentiments are unlikely to dissipate once the Telangana issue is settled. An SRC would be better placed than a ministerial committee to address their aspirations. It could work on a set of criteria to evaluate if the statehood demands are justifiable and sustainable and decide accordingly.

However, the Centre must not harbour the idea that a demand for a separate state is per se regressive. The experience so far reveals that smaller administrative units tend to perform better than large states. The SRC with a clearly defined mandate would offer a transparent mechanism to meet statehood aspirations. The Telangana issue spiralled out of control mainly because the Centre kept postponing a decision on the statehood demand. It later succumbed to the Telangana Rashtra Samitis politics of blackmail. A repeat of the situation must be avoided.

(SOURCE : EDITORIAL, TOI)