JOIN USKCR's chaotic rule
The mother of all surveys is coming, ab sab doodh Ka doodh paani ka paani ho jaye ga (the picture will be clear),” said a senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader obviously pointing out that soon the Telangana government will know the roots of its residents.
The survey is allegedly aimed at identifying the people from the other states, mainly Andhra Pradesh, in order to deny government benefits, has created panic among the so called “settlers.” This is a term commonly used to tag people of AP living in the capital region and other parts of Telangana, even before the state was officially divided through an Act on June 2 this year.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wants to limit the benefits to the people native of Telangana and no one else.
To achieve this end, he has initiated several steps that invariably aim at hurting the interests of Seemandhra (or AP) people. Those who have migrated from the Andhra region believe that the information gathered during the survey about their fixed assets as well as liquid assets could land them in trouble.
“With the Telangana government making its intensions clear particularly about cutting off benefits such as student fee waiver and employment to our children, we have our fears in disclosing our information,” says a father accompanying his daughter to the Eamcet(common entrance examination for medical and engineering streams) counselling.
However lakhs of families will have no option than staying at home on August 19 as the Telangana government has ordered the closure of all modes of transportation and even petrol pumps. However, the latest order of the High Court that the survey should be on voluntary basis and the enumerators must not seek information on personal issues, came a bit too late to assure the frightened residents.
“We have no objection if KCR initiates steps to develop his state, but he is behaving like Hitler who survived on differentiating between people. It might be a ploy to perpetuate TRS rule in Telangana, but he is hurting the interests of lakhs of people from AP, who came to Hyderabad to eke out a living,” AP minister Kollu Ravindra, said.
Demolition man
The first step by the government of Telangana was to order demolition of structures illegally built by the rich and famous. The Gurukula Trust land in the vicinity of high value Hi-tech City was selected to demonstrate to the land grabbers the `resolve’ of the new government. However, the demolition drive went hey-wire and the dwellings of several commoners mostly from Seemandhra region were bulldozed.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the water works and the electricity departments which gave permission and the registrar’s office that allowed registration of the Trust lands, were left scot-free.
While the official line was that no land grabber will be spared, the residents belonging to AP stood apart and were totally alienated.
Turning his guns to the icons of Andhra Pradesh, particularly the Tollywood dominated by Seemandhra, the GHMC has served notices on actor Akkineni Nagarjuna’s convention centre saying that it was built on a lake bed.
However, the actor approached court and voluntarily removed certain structures. While the step has boosted KCR’s image in time for the forthcoming GHMC elections, the fear in the Tollywood circles that they would be the next target of KCR strengthened the arguments that the Tollywood should either return to its birthplace Chennai or shift to Visakhapatnam.
Chaotic academic year The next few decisions taken by the CM including seeking extension of dates for counselling for students who have qualified in the Eamcet ran into trouble.
The Supreme Court and the High Court at Hyderabad have asked the Telangana government to stick to the provisions of AP Reorganisation Act, thus coming to the rescue of the beleaguered AP government. KCR, in an effort to cut down benefits to the students belonging to Seemandhra, announced that his government will not pay for the students who are native to AP under the fee reimbursement scheme. For that, the government wanted to first fix the nativity and then go for the process of counselling.
KCR appealed SC to grant extension. Even as AP offered to share the burden as the Act provided for 10 years of common admissions under the AP Council for Higher Education (APSCHE), by the Telangana government took a decision to fix 1956 as a cut-off year to claim nativity and to issue a passport-like booklet confirming nativity.Following the Supreme Court direction, the APSCHE announced dates for counselling. Instead of following the directives in the larger interests of lakhs of students in both the states whose academic year is nothing less than chaotic, KCR directed his officers not to attend the Council meetings and announced that his government has nothing to do with the ASCHE’s schedule. A Telangana Higher Education Council - TSCHE - was launched overnight to browbeat the AP Government.
Despite of the argument of the Telangana government that it needs few more months to start counselling in Telangana state as it just has ordered a massive inspection of engineering colleges in the wake of a perceived fee reimbursement scam, the Apex court ordered Telangana to work with AP government to complete admissions by August month end and start classes by September.
“Please don’t play politics with the future of the students who took the Eamcet examination in the common state,” was the Supreme Court’s observation.“The process is not over, still lot many names have to be changed, lot many unnecessary statues have to be demolished,” says KCR addressing the name changing ceremony of the Acharya NG Ranga Agri university in Rajendranagar. He changed the name of the common university into Prof Jayashankar Agri University, despite of protest from AP.
Silence of KCR over the humiliations meted out to AP cadre IAS officers right under his nose in Hyderabad and the statements of the Chief minister of India’s 29th state are enough indications to foretell the future events waiting to unfold in Telangana.
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