Kiran raises security bogey

A beautiful state known for its dynamism is being thrown into a whirlpool of disputes, legal concerns, resource constraints and political uncertainties, knowingly, despite the fact that it is avoidable.

It is not one region but both the regions are going to face negative consequences. Moreover, the oft-quoted internal security issues, involving Left-wing Extremism, Terrorism and Communal sensitivity, get compounded with the mutual distrust and ill-will between two large groups of residents, especially in Hyderabad.

New Delhi: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy made a strong pitch against the division of the State, citing security, law and order problem and claiming that communal tension will flare up, after the formation of Telangana.

Making out a strong case for keeping the State united, he said, “The division of the State has dangerous implications to the safety and security of the people of both the new States proposed, especially to the people of Hyderabad city.”

In his presentation before the GoM, where he submitted a letter and two books, the copies of which are in the possession of The Hans India, the Chief Minister said, “A beautiful state known for its dynamism is being thrown into a whirlpool of disputes, legal concerns, resource constraints and political uncertainties, knowingly, despite the fact that it is avoidable.”

Quoting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he stated in the letter: “Merely talking of separation is not an end of the problem. It is the beginning of another very big problem, not for other states but also for that area that state itself.”

In the letter, the Chief Minister argued, “It is not one region but both the regions are going to face negative consequences. Moreover, the oft-quoted internal security issues, involving Left-wing Extremism, Terrorism and Communal sensitivity, get compounded with the mutual distrust and ill-will between two large groups of residents, especially in Hyderabad.”

Giving a detailed presentation along with graphics and maps, detailing the areas and districts affected by Naxal violence, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that at present the Maoist violence is mainly restricted to the districts of Khammam and Visakhapatnam, apart from sporadic intrusions into the districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, East Godavari and Vizianagram, which are situated on inter-state borders with Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

He said that in Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist), State Committee Members out of the total 18, 15 were from Andhra Pradesh, while the rest accounted for only 3 members. Out of the 15 from Andhra Pradesh, 11 belonged to Telangana. Similarly, through illustrations, he said that the 11 out of the 17 Central Committee Members of the CPI (Maoists) belonged to Andhra Pradesh, out of which 9 are from Telangana and 2 from Andhra.

The Chief Minister before the GoM stated that almost from two-and-a-half decades, from 1980 to 2006, violent activities of the Maoists had been very intense in most parts of the Telangana region and relatively less intense in some parts of Seemandhra region.

During the entire period, none of the political executives, landlords could venture to stay in villages. All of them vacated their villages and started living in nearest towns and cities under police protection. However, it was only from 2006 onwards, most of the rural area had been freed from the problem of Naxal activity and all political executives went back to the villages after a period of almost two-and-a-half decades.

Given the history of Telangana armed struggle by the Communists in 1946 in the pre-Independent India, when Naxalism was born in 1967 in Naxalbari in West Bengal, the Naxalites found a ready fertile ground in Telangana region (apart from Srikakulam) and took off from where Telangana armed struggle ended.

From Telangana, the Naxalism has spread throughout Andhra Pradesh and to the neighbouring states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Today, all Maoist leaders are from Telangana region leading the Maoist movement all over the country.

Once, Naxalism re-emerges in Telangana, it will automatically spread to Nallmala forest areas of Seemandhra and from there to the entire residual state of Andhra Pradesh as it once spread in the past. “Thus, in the event of a division, there will be resurgence of Naxalism in both the states and both will find it a herculean task to fight Naxalism due to reduced resources”.

Talking about the Law and Order problems, the Chief Minister in his book on Internal Security, stated that the new state of Telangana will have to raise an additional force of 25,000, which will be about 40 per cent of the existing force in Telangana resulting in huge additional expenditure.

Kiran Kumar Reddy concluded his report saying, “The expected political instability, coupled with limited resources of Law Enforcement on account of smaller size of Telangana State will have serious implications for countering the threat of Naxal, Terrorist and Communal violence. The re-emergence of Naxal violence in Telangana State will automatically lead to increase in Naxal activity in residual State of Andhra Pradesh, too.”