History of the Telangana movement

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The history of the Telangana movement refers to the political and social conditions under which the Telangana region was merged with Andhra State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh and the subsequent demands to reverse the merger to form a new state of Telangana from united Andhra Pradesh.

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Monarchy to Democracy

When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad wanted Hyderabad State to remain independent under the special provisions given to princely states. The peasants of the state, influenced by Communist party [ citation needed ], had also revolted against the Nizam, who tried to suppress their armed struggle against landlords.[ citation needed ] Qasim Razvi led the private Razakar army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule, and carried out the worst forms of atrocities on people. [1] [2] [3] The Government of India liberated and assimilated the Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army called Operation Polo.

A Communist-led peasant revolt started in Telangana in 1946, which lasted until 1951.[ citation needed ] Hyderabad state included 9 Telugu speaking districts of Telangana, 4 Kannada districts in Gulbarga division & 4 Marathi speaking districts in Aurangabad division. Rangareddy district was carved out of Hyderabad district of Telangana in 1978. Now Telangana has 31 districts. Two districts were added in 2018, which made them 33 districts . Telangana has changed from 9 districts to 33 districts in just 30 years The Central Government appointed a civil servant, M. K. Vellodi, as First Chief Minister of Hyderabad state on 26 January 1950. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras state and Bombay state. In 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was elected Chief minister of Hyderabad State in the first democratic election. During this time there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement 'Mulki-rules'(Local jobs for locals only), which was part of Hyderabad state law since 1919. [4] [5]

In 1952, Telugu-speaking people were distributed in about 22 districts, 9 of them in the former Nizam's dominions of the princely state of Hyderabad, 12 in the Madras Presidency (Andhra region), and one in French-controlled Yanam. Meanwhile, Telugu-speaking areas in the Andhra region were carved out of the erstwhile Madras state by leaders like Potti Sri Ramulu to create Andhra State in 1953, with Kurnool as its capital. [6] [7] [8]

In 1952, there was a students agitation against non Mulkis (mulki meaning locals). The agitation arose after many jobs were taken by people from coastal Andhra. The popular slogans were Non-Mulki go back and Idli Sambar go back. During the protests seven students were killed in police firing. Some sources claim that the Mulki Movement started as far back as 1927.

Merging of Hyderabad State and Andhra

In December 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. [9] The commission, due to public demand, recommended disintegration of Hyderabad state and to merge Marathi speaking region with Bombay state and Kannada speaking region with Mysore state.

Hyderabad State in 1956 (in yellowish green). After reorganisation in 1956, regions of the state west of the red and blue lines merged with the Bombay and Mysore states respectively, and the rest of the state (Telangana) was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad State reorganization 1956.png
Hyderabad State in 1956 (in yellowish green). After reorganisation in 1956, regions of the state west of the red and blue lines merged with the Bombay and Mysore states respectively, and the rest of the state (Telangana) was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh.

The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telugu speaking Telangana region with Andhra state, despite their common language. Paragraph 382 of the States Reorganisation Commission Report (SRC) said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit; public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallise itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future". The people of Telangana had several concerns. The region had a less-developed economy than Andhra, but with a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which people of Telangana feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They feared that planned irrigation projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately, even though people of Telangana controlled the headwaters of the rivers. It was feared that the people of Andhra, who had access to higher standards of education under the British rule, would have an unfair advantage in seeking government and educational jobs.

The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with a two-thirds majority. The Chief Minister of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, expressed his view that a majority of Telangana people were against the merger. [10] He supported the Congress party's central leadership decision to merge Telangana and Andhra despite opposition in Telangana. [11] Andhra state assembly passed a resolution on 25 November 1955 to provide safeguards to Telangana. The resolution said, "Assembly would further like to assure the people in Telangana that the development of that area would be deemed to be special charge, and that certain priorities and special protection will be given for the improvement of that area, such as reservation in services and educational institutions on the basis of population and irrigational development." [12] Telangana leaders did not believe the safeguards would work. [13] [14]

Hyderabad Chief minister in his letter to Congress President said Communist parties supported the merger for their political calculations. Hyderabad PCC chief said overwhelming majority from Congress party opposed the merger and Communists were elected in special circumstances in 1951 and Visalandhra was not a political issue in 1951 and Assembly does not reflect people's view on this issue. He also said 80% of Congress delegates who were elected in 1955 opposed merger. Government had to provide the additional security for Communist leaders who supported the Visalandhra. [13]

In Hyderabad assembly out of 174 MLAs On 3 December 1955, 147 MLAs expressed their view. 103 MLA's (including Marathi and Kannada MLAs) supported the merger, 16 MLAs maintained neutral stand and 29 opposed merger. Among Telangana MLAs, 25 Telangana MLAs disagreed with the merger, 59 Telangana MLAs supported the merger. Out of 94 Telangana MLAs in the assembly, 36 were Communists (PDF), 40 were Congress, 11 were Socialist party (SP), 9 were independents. Voting did not take place on the resolution because Telangana proponents insisted on to including the phrase "As per the wishes of people" in the resolution. [15] [16]

With lobbying from Andhra Congress leaders and with pressure from the Central leadership of Congress party, an agreement was reached between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders on 20 February 1956 to merge Telangana and Andhra with promises to safeguard Telangana's interests. [17] [18] This came to be known as the Gentlemen's agreement. The agreement allowed the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 itself, against the SRC's recommendations of waiting until 1961 to get the approval of 2/3 of Telangana state assembly after the 2 cycles of elections in Telangana state.[ citation needed ]

Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru initially was skeptical of merging Telangana with Andhra State, fearing a "tint of expansionist imperialism" in it. [19] [20] He compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having "provisions for divorce" if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well. [21] [22] [23] Following the Gentlemen's agreement, the central government established a unified Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956. [6] [24] [25] The agreement provided reassurances to Telangana in terms of power-sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.[ citation needed ]

1969 Telangana Agitation

In 1969, Telangana agitation arose after students felt betrayed and ensuing battle with the government and the students, 369 students were killed in police firing.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Politics of Andhra Pradesh take place in the context of a bicameral parliamentary system within the Constitutional framework of India. The main parties in the state are the YSR Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party. Other parties that have small presence in the state include the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra State</span> Former state of India (1953–56) in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra State was a state in India created in 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The state was made up of this two distinct cultural regions – Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Andhra State did not include all Telugu-speaking areas, as it excluded some in Hyderabad State. Under the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, Andhra State was merged with the Telugu-speaking regions of Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Andhra Pradesh</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956</span>

The Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh was signed between Telangana and Andhra leaders before the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh of India on 20 February 1956. The agreement provided safeguards with the purpose of preventing discrimination against Telangana by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The violations of this agreement are cited as one of the reasons for formation of separate statehood for Telangana.

The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) constituted by the Central Government of India in December 1953 to recommend the reorganization of state boundaries. In September 1955, after two years of study, the Commission, comprising Justice Fazal Ali, K. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru, submitted its report. The commission's recommendations were accepted with some modifications and implemented in the States Reorganisation Act in November, 1956. The act provided that India's state boundaries should be reorganized to form 14 states and 6 centrally administered territories. On December 10, 1948, the report of Dar Commission was published but the issue remained unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visalandhra movement</span>

The Visalandhra,VishalandhraorVishala Andhra was a movement in post-independence India for a united state for all Telugu speakers, a Greater Andhra. This movement was led by the Communist Party of India under the banner of Andhra Mahasabha with a demand to merge all the Telugu-speaking areas into one state.. The movement succeeded and a separate state of Andhra Pradesh was formed by merging Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad State with Andhra State on 1 November 1956 as part of the States Reorganisation Act.. However, on 2 June 2014, Telangana State was separated back out of Andhra Pradesh and the Vishalandhra experiment came to an end. The residual Andhra Pradesh now has approximately the same borders as the old Andhra State of 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telangana movement</span> Revolt for the separate state of Telangana, in India

The Telangana movement refers to a movement for the creation of a separate state, Telangana, from the pre-existing state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The new state corresponds to the Telugu-speaking portions of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, which were merged with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, leading to the Mulki Agitations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samaikyandhra Movement</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Telangana Agitation</span> Political movement in India

1969 Telangana Agitation was a political movement for the statehood for Telangana region. The first person to raise the issue of Telangana happened in 1968 during October or November timeframe. A hunger strike was being carried on by a person named Ravindranath on 1969/January/08 in Khammam near the Railway Station. He was on an indefinite fast and his prime demand was to implement Telangana safeguards. One other demand was his insistence on implementation of the Gentleman's agreement. It is a major event in Telangana movement. In the indiscriminate police firing, 369 Telangana students were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-2004 Telangana protests</span>

The Pre-2004 Telangana protests refers to the movements and agitations related to the Telangana movement that took place before the year 2004. Andhra state and Telangana was merged to form Andhra Pradesh state on 1 November 1956 after providing safeguards to Telangana in the form of Gentlemen's agreement. Soon after the formation of Andhra Pradesh, people of Telangana expressed dissatisfaction over how the agreements and guarantees were implemented. Protests initially led by students later under the leadership of newly formed political party Telangana Praja Samithi, led by M. Chenna Reddy and Konda Lakshman Bapuji, a minister who resigned from the cabinet led by then Chief Minister Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, demanding the formation of a separate state of Telangana. More than three hundred people died in police firing. Under the Mulki rules in force at the time, anyone who had lived in Hyderabad for 15 years was considered a local, and was thus eligible for certain government posts. When the Supreme Court upheld the Mulki rules at the end of 1972, the Jai Andhra movement, with the aim of re-forming a separate state of Andhra, was started in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004–2010 Telangana protests</span>

The Telangana protests 2004-2010 refers to the movements and agitations related to the Telangana movement that took place between the years 2004 and 2010. For the 2004 Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region to consider the demand of separate Telangana State. However, again in 2006, the then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy categorically said that the state would remain united. This again resulted in statewide protests. In 2009, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram announced that the Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly after an 11-day fast by K. Chandrashekar Rao. This again resulted in protests across both Andhra and Rayalseema as in a short time of the Home Minister's declaration, MLAs from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions submitted their resignations in protest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabad State (1948–1956)</span> Former state of India (1948-1956)

Hyderabad State was a state in Dominion and later Republic of India, formed after the accession of the State of Hyderabad into the Union on 17 September 1948. It existed from 1948 to 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Telangana protests</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Telangana</span>

The history of Telangana, located on the high Deccan Plateau, includes its being ruled by the Satavahana Dynasty, the Kakatiya Dynasty (1083–1323), the Musunuri Nayaks (1326–1356), the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1512), Golconda Sultanate (1512–1687) and Asaf Jahi dynasty (1724-1950).

Elections to the Andhra State Legislative Assembly were held on 11 February 1955. 581 candidates contested for the 167 constituencies in the Assembly. There were 29 two-member constituencies and 138 single-member constituencies. The members of the first assembly (1955–62) were allowed a seven-year term. That is to say, in 1957, elections were conducted in the newly added region of Telangana alone, and then in 1962, general elections were held for the state as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Pradesh (1956–2014)</span> Former state in India with Hyderabad as its capital

Andhra Pradesh, retrospectively referred to as United Andhra Pradesh, Undivided Andhra Pradesh or Ummadi Andhra Pradesh, was a state in India formed by States Reorganisation Act, 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital and was reorganised by Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The state was made up of three distinct cultural regions of Telangana, Rayalaseema, and Coastal Andhra. Before the 1956 reorganisation, Telangana had been part of Hyderabad State ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad, whereas Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra had been part of Andhra State, formerly a part of Madras Presidency ruled by British India.

The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 is an act of Andhra Pradesh Legislature aimed at the decentralisation of governance in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The bill was proposed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish three capitals at different places in the state namely Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Kurnool, which will serve as executive, legislative and judicial capitals respectively.

References

  1. ↑ "AP history- Govt of AP". Aponline.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  2. ↑ "'Regional colour' to Hyderabad liberation movement decried". The Hindu . 18 September 2003. Archived from the original on 27 October 2003. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Painful memories for erstwhile Hyderabad State". Twocircles.net. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Mulki agitation in Hyderabad state". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ "Hyderabad Agitation Against Non-Mulkis" (PDF). he Economic and Political Weekly. 13 September 1952. pp. 943–944. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 "History and Culture – History-Post-Independence Era". APonline. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "After Sriramulu, Andhra State". The Hindu . 18 December 2002. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Andhra State formed". The Hindu . 1 October 2003. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "SRC submits report". The Hindu . 1 October 2005. Archived from the original on 1 March 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Hyderabad CM's Views on merger
  11. ↑ "Pro-Telangana crowd mob Andhra ex-minister at airport; Hyderabad CM appeal to people: Abide by High command decision - Page 8 of Nov 16, 1955 Indian Express". 16 November 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  12. ↑ "Vishandhra here and now. Special safeguards for Telangana. -Govt motion in Andhra Assembly - Page 5 of Nov 26, 1955 Indian Express". 26 November 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  13. 1 2 "No belief in Safeguards: Hyderabad PCC chief. - Page 4 of Nov 21, 1955 Indian Express". 21 November 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Telangana Leaders must Adhere to Delhi Resolution - High command advise; High command has open mind, Claims Chenna Reddi - Plea for Telangana - Page 7 of Nov 27, 1955 Indian Express". 27 November 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Page 1 of the edition December 5, 1955". Andhra Prabha dated 5 December 1955. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1951 to the Legislative Assembly of Hyderabad" (PDF). Election Commission. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "SRC sub committee said no decision on Visalandhra taken.- Page 1 of Feb 1, 1956 Indian Express". 1 February 1956. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "New Telugu state to be called Hyderabad. Regional council for Telangana. - Page 1 of Feb 21, 1956 Indian Express". 21 February 1956. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "Visalandhra demand was bearing a taint of "expansive imperialism": Nehru - page8 of Indian express Oct 2, 1953". 2 October 1953. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "Visalandhra demand was bearing a taint of "expansive imperialism": Nehru - page8 of Indian express Oct 2, 1953" . Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  21. ↑ "Reorganisation, then and now". Frontlineonnet.com. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Nehru compares merger with Matrimonial alliance with provision for divorce" . Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  23. ↑ Nehru compares the Andhra Telangana merger to Matrimonial alliance. Page 5 of Andhra Patrika 3 Nov 1956
  24. ↑ "dated March 7, 1956: Visalandhra to be formed". The Hindu. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  25. ↑ "Andhra Pradesh formed". The Hindu . 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
Preceded by
Indian Independence
 Telangana movement
1952–1968		Succeeded by

17°59′N79°35′E / 17.99°N 79.59°E / 17.99; 79.59

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