1969 Movement
The Telangana agitation started in the first week of January 1969 in Khammam when students demanded the implementation of the Telangana safeguards enumerated in the Gentlemen's Agreement. And more than 100 crores of telangana surplus funds has been utilized for Andhra Development. This agitation soon spread out to different parts of Telangana. The students got divided into two groups: one demanding the implementation of safeguards and the other demanding a separate Telangana state.
11th January 1969, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh called for an All-Party Meeting to discuss the issues and to achieve the full integration of Andhra Pradesh.
Two issues were discussed and agreed upon:
v The appointment of a senior civil service officer to decide the question of Telangana surpluses
v The transfer of non-domicile public employees from Telangana and providing jobs for them in the Andhra region.
As a follow-up measure of the All-Party accord, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh arranged for the accounting of Telangana surplus funds. Kumar Lalith, Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, assessed the surplus funds as Rs.40. Even though the figures are wrong but proves the some of the surplus fund were utilized in Andhra.
State Govt of Andhra Pradesh issued G.O 36 in 1969 to suppress the separate Telangana movement. It was aimed at repatriating about twenty five thousand non-Mulki (non local) employees illegally appointed in the Telangana region, to their respective places and appointing local candidates in the resultant vacancies. The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi discussed the problem with leaders of the Opposition in Parliament on April 9,1969. Except for the Swatantra Party all others did not support a separate state. The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi rejected the demand for the ouster of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy from the leadership of the Andhra Pradesh Congress.
The Prime Minister announced an Eight-Point Formula on April 11,1969 to ensure the development of Telangana. In consonance with this formula, the Centre appointed two committees:
1. Committee of Jurists under former Justice K.N. Wanchoo to suggest measures to provide constitutional safeguards for the Telangana people in the matter of public employment.
2. Committee under Justice Bhargava to assess the revenue surpluses of Telangana.
In spite of these measures the agitation mounted and grew in intensity. Bandhs, hartals and processions were very frequent. Demand for a separate state became the central theme of the agitation.
The Prime Minister visited Hyderabad on June 4, 1969. She met leaders of different groups and political parties. Subsequently, then Union Home Minister, Y. B. Chavan, also visited Hyderabad to have discussions. Consensus reached on two things:
1. The dismissal of Brahmananda Reddy's ministry.
2. Proclamation of Presidential rule in Andhra Pradesh.
Realizing that the agitation was very strongly motivated, particularly about the dismissal of his government, Brahmananda Reddy tendered his resignation on June 27. The Congress leadership sent Congress President Nijalingappa and a senior member Kamaraj Nadar, to seek the verdict of the State Legislature Party. The Congress Legislature Party affirmed its support to Kasu Brahmananda Reddy and suggested that he should continue until normalcy was restored and a peaceful changeover should be opted, giving the leadership to someone from Telangana.
The Telangana leaders felt that agitation politics alone would not be sufficient to dethrone Brahmananda Reddy. This realization made the TPS enter into the electoral politics. It won a by-election in June 1970, defeating the Congress (R). By this time, the Congress had already split at the national level and the TPS supported the leadership of Indira Gandhi. Brahmananda Reddy also supported her.
In the December of 1970, Indira Gandhi dissolved the Lok Sabha and announced a mid-term poll. The TPS eventually contested all the 14 seats to Parliament from Telangana and won 10 out of them. In spite of her overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, Indira Gandhi did not give any leverage to the TPS which opted for a compromise in September 1971 and merged with the Congress (R). The deal involved:
- Continuation of Mulki Rules;
- Separate budget and accounts for Telangana
- Separate Pradesh Congress Committee for Telangana
- Resignation of Brahmananda Reddy in favor of a Chief Minister from Telangana.
The Telangana agitation did not achieve its important goal of a separate state, but secured assurance of safeguards for the region. Its achievement was quite significant. It wrested for the first time the Chief Ministership from the politically dominant Andhras. However, the new Chief Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao (former Education Minister in the State Cabinet) was an integrationist and politically a light weight in the Reddy dominated Telangana politics. Ten portfolios in his ministry went to Telangana, three of them belonging to the erstwhile TPS.
During this population agitation, government took the actions to disturb and weaken the agitation.
3116 times Lati Charges
18,000 people got hurts badly without bone fractures
10200 people got bleeded with intensified loti charges
1816 got their bone fractures.
1820 times, 11200 GAS Bombs were used to spread and disturb the agitators
147 "times" (how many guns, don’t know) police firings, 370 Telangana brothers died
1971 parliament election, TPS has won 10 out 14 seats under separate telangana slogan, but their mandate is not honored.
Coutesy:
Satya N Rapelly