When people’s issues take a back seat

Now it is almost a year since the formation of an elected government in the new State of Telangana. The similarities between the two States come as a shock and disillusionment, despite the warnings of the progressive intellectuals about what kind of Telangana will emerge after the bifurcation of the state.

Both States are led by leaders from similar intellectual stream. Their accents or dialects may be different, but their beliefs are similar. If the Telangana CM wants to build a secretariat in place of an existing hospital, depriving poor people access to a less expensive centrally located hospital primarily on the advice of a Vastu ‘expert’, the Andhra Pradesh CM wants to build a mega capital city by usurping fertile farmland and displacing prosperous farmers and depriving them of their livelihoods, again on the advice of a Vastu ‘expert’. Both are mega construction projects involving crores of public money, without the public having any say in how it is deployed for their own good.

The two Telugu CMs have open and proud association with symbolic religious activities. If Bathukamma gets priority funding, Yadagirigutta is getting priority makeover, threatening to compete with Tirumala, thanks to the enthusiasm of the new government. There is talk of land acquisition around the temple under the supervision of senior ministers. Without too much publicity, in Kadapa 1400 acres of land is believed to have been ‘cleared’ of hundreds of residents to make a large open space for the celebration of Sri Rama Navami at the Ontimitta temple. This was done as a special effort because the celebrations were happening for the first time after the formation of Andhra Pradesh! The tragedy is compounded because the Governor who presides over both the states, and incidentally enjoys public flaunting of his religious activities, attended and endorsed the event.

Andhra Pradesh in its combined avatar had an abysmal record in literacy and infant mortality and other important social indicators. It also had the dubious distinction of leading the crime records charts on violence against women and domestic violence. No indications of change so far in any of these factors after bifurcation.

More importantly, combined Andhra Pradesh had a bloody history since late 1940s of extreme brutality at the hands of the security establishment. But the bifurcation of the state has not made any difference to this either.

Both the states continue to violate human rights with impunity. Crores of public money was spent on priority by the Telangana government to modernise and provide advanced technology to the police establishment. One would have thought this would have led to more responsible policing. But the shocking Warangal encounter killings do not hold out any hope for the people. The encounter killings of the woodcutters from Tamil Nadu in Andhra Pradesh and its aftermath create a sense of Déjà Vu, with the unconvincing fictions unfolding before us.

Another similarity. Both the leaders are busy wooing the big industrialists, big investors, and religious entities even as they neglect people’s priorities like education and health. Both want to bring Singapore home. The election time rhetoric about farmers’ welfare and curbing of illegal real estate and mining activities involving powerful people remain forgotten. Social media is abuzz with the ‘news’ that 400 acres of acquired land for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh will be allocated to a religious foundation.

The KG to PG promise and employment notifications are low priority and can take 5 years or more, but emptying of the Tank Bund is already under way. So far there has been no improvement in school education. All major universities in the state which were in the forefront of the Telangana movement are without Vice Chancellors, and are likely to lose funding from the UGC. Again, neither the chancellor nor the state is showing any accountability or interest in the issue. Universities, I wish, were also deemed sacred like temples, primarily because they are an investment into the future of the youth of the region. It is high time that the courts stepped in to question if the state can invoke eminent domain when it takes land for religious activities. Is it the same as, for instance, building a national highway?

Again, can a decision based on superstitions like Vastu be the basis for encroaching on people’s basic right to life, livelihoods and health? Both the States have to be held accountable. The States may have separated, but we have become unsuspecting and unwilling witnesses to this “Game of Thrones.”