K. Chandrasekhar Rao, agitator par excellence, realised his dreams on Monday with Telangana officially finding its place as the country’s 29th state, and Mr Rao himself as its first Chief Minister. The successful culmination of a 13-year struggle was marked by twists and turns, but the Centre run until recently by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — and under the political direction of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi — delivered on its promise. The BJP, now holding the reins of the Union government, was also supportive as the then principal Opposition party in Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now promised all support to the new state of 3.5 crore people.
This should give the chief minister some elbow room, but the challenge of building the “bangaru”, or golden Telangana, that Mr Rao has promised can be daunting as the CM transits from agitator to administrator. He may also have to weather criticism for inducting his son and his nephew as ministers, although their signal contribution to the agitation for Telangana is beyond question.
The power situation is bad. Deficit has been registered from day one. Industry, especially the IT hub concentrated around Hyderabad, needs uninterrupted power flow to retain its pre-eminent position. There are also concerns for agriculture. The distribution of waters between the irrigation projects in both states is entrusted with joint control boards which are yet to be set up by the Centre. While Telangana has come out of AP amidst political turmoil, the two states will share Hyderabad as their capital for 10 years and must work in tandem on the development side.
Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister-in-waiting of Andhra Pradesh, is a recognised administrator and Mr Rao is just starting out. There must be coordination even if the two CMs have not been on speaking terms since Mr Rao left Mr Naidu’s government 13 years ago. Mr Rao did not invite Mr Naidu to his swearing-in. This situation needs to change. It is just as well that Mr Naidu has invited Mr Rao to his swearing-in ceremony on June 8. This offers an opening for political healing with someone whose party is a partner of the ruling NDA at the Centre.
Maintaining cordial relations with the Centre must remain high on Telangana’s agenda. Considerable Central assistance is needed. Several issues pertaining to Telangana and AP are still vested with New Delhi under the AP Reorganisation Act. The safety and security of the people of Hyderabad, including the 30 lakh from Seemandhra living in Telangana, is vested with the Telangana governor for the next 10 years. Mr Rao should remove any scope for criticism that his government is less than sensitive to their concerns. Telangana must make a balanced start in the spirit of goodwill.
