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The momentous decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh was taken by the Union Cabinet on Thursday. This had been an acutely emotional issue which had torn the people of AP apart on regional lines. No single decision would be acceptable to both the regions. A decision not to take any decision also would not have brought normality to Telangana which has been boiling for more than four years. While the act of taking the decision itself called for courage, its implementation would require a lot of patience and tact.

There have been arguments and counterarguments on the contentious issue of bifurcation. No argument is entirely acceptable or completely unacceptable. There are valid points in every presentation. No issue in the recent times had agitated the minds of the people as this one did. Unprecedented acrimony was witnessed. Things had come to such a pass that a final decision had to be taken either way and implemented with precision if peace had to return to the disturbed lives of the Telugu-speaking people. The UPA government has to be commended for taking a decision that impinges on the destiny of the Telugu-speaking people. Whenever a decision of this nature is taken it is bound to make a section happy and another angry.

Granting of a separate statehood would fulfill the aspirations of the people of Telangana. It is a fruitful culmination of a long-drawn popular struggle for political power. The aspects of culture, traditions, language and alleged hegemony are all secondary. It has to be understood as an assertion of the people of their right to develop their region. The UPA decision is bound to hurt the feelings of the people of Seemandhra who have been stridently demanding that the State be kept united. It is only understandable. The Centre has to apply balm on their wounds in time. The people of Seemandhra have to learn to live with the reality and try to get maximum advantage in the given situation. They are resilient, hardworking, intelligent and enterprising. The leaders of the region have to bargain with the Centre for a huge package to build a beautiful capital city at a suitable place and equip the new State with all the facilities required to place it on a growth trajectory on par with any developed State in the country. People of all the regions in the residuary State have to work in harmony to achieve common goals.

Both the successor States need guidance and help from the Centre. Not conceding the vehement demand made by Union Ministers from Seemandhra to make Hyderabad a Union Territory was a considered decision although it may have weakened the protagonists of united AP with little to show to their people. It is a very sensitive matter that impacts almost every family across the State. The Telangana Governor and two officers deputed by the Centre should ensure safety and security of all the people in city. The rulers of Telangana will have to walk the extra mile to remove apprehensions on that score. No region should feel that injustice has been meted out to it. The Centre has to go to the rescue of the political leaders by empowering them with liberal assistance so that they, in turn, can convince the people to get on with life as usual.

This is the time for the people of AP to reflect and understand the conditions which prompted the UPA government to take such a historic decision and to cooperate in implementing it. Any other course would only continue the agony and distress that had been the hallmark of the State for quite some time. We appeal to the people of all the regions in the State to maintain peace and tranquility and not to be misled by rumours. Political parties would do well not to embark upon any agitational programmes to get mileage in the general elections in 2014. Let the Telugu people part as brothers and sisters and continue to love one another.