With the creation of a separate state for Telangana as well as the landslide victory achieved by KCR in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, the newly formed state was expected to run smoothly. However, in the first few days of the new regime, things have been exactly the opposite. The Indian Government has opted to give Andhra Pradesh at least 200 villages that are presently in Telangana, so as to execute the Polavaram Irrigation Plan. This has led to KCR calling a full-day shutdown across the state on May 29th, affecting public life in a bad way.
In all the 10 districts that make up the new state, the buses which are being operated by the Road Transport Corporation, which is a state-held body, have stopped running; this includes Hyderabad as well. Even shops, businesses and hotels in many parts across the state have come to a grinding halt. In fact, leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have been sitting outside the depots of the RTC as a mark of protest. This has also stopped the buses from coming out and running like they do on normal days. KCR had reportedly personally appealed to the said institutions to stop their operations for the day so that a resounding protest against the said merger could be made.
In fact, this hartaal has also affected the working of buses that ply from Hyderabad to other parts of the state as well as the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The situation was the same at Secunderabad, too. This caused a lot of problems for the people who use these services on a daily basis. The education sector has been affected as well. The supplementary examinations applicable for students of 11th and 12th standards, which were due to be conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education, have been called off.
KCR has termed the said ordinance for transferring the villages an unconstitutional one, and has further opined that the national government does not have the authority to take such decisions without first talking to the states in question. Telangana is slated to be officially created on June 2, 2014. The 205 villages in question are situated in the Khamam district, which saw a complete shutdown on the day; the intensity of the bandh was felt the most in the divisions named Palvancha and Bhadrachalam. These villages have around 2 lakh people, majority of them being tribals. They have also opposed the said decision in a strong manner.
Meanwhile, it is believed that the national government has taken this decision so that any problem regarding the said project between the two states does not arise. The project is said to be executed on the river Godavari. It is said that when it is being done many villages in the said region could drown and so that the two states do not have any problems with it the region is being handed over to Andhra Pradesh. In the meantime N. Chandrababu Naidu, who will become the next CM of Andhra Pradesh, has asked KCR to refrain from making confrontational comments with regards to the Polavaram project or make it a political issue as such.
KCR has told the media in a statement that he believes that the decision was taken under the pressure of the TDP, which is a major ally of the BJP in the recently concluded elections. He has also asked the President to not ratify the same and has denounced what he perceives as injustice being perpetrated towards his state by the Indian Government.
The head of the Telugu Desam Party asked KCR why he had not protested when the said project was declared to be a national one by the UPA government and when it was also stated that the villages would be made a part of Andhra Pradesh. He also said that he was ready to offer complete cooperation to the newly created state of Telangana, provided its Chief Minister emphasised more on its development.
As far as the center’s response on the issue is concerned, Ravishankar Prasad has stated that the ordinance had not featured in the Cabinet’s talks. However, T. Harish Rao, a member of the TRS politbureau and a legislator, has stated that the party has definite information that the government had given its nod to the said merger.
