Division for political gains

Right from British rulers, Indian people have always been victims in the game of divide & rule policy. Our politicians know it; but still they play the same game by creating a problem and making it an election issue to win votes

When it is time to notice that Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a State with utmost development in the field of education, Information Technology and utilization of abundant natural resources, which were equally distributed throughout the State, some political leaders have started agitating for the division of the State for their personal gains.

It is unfortunate because instead of Telugu people’s progress coming into focus their agitations for and against State division are hogging the limelight. If the State is divided, the strength of parliamentarians from Andhra Pradesh will be weakened and they can’t effectively raise their voice and fight for a good share in central allocations for the development of the State such as establishment of national institutions and other Central government projects. If they are denied, it will be a major setback to the entire State.

When we look at the world progress, many countries smaller than India are emerging as tiger economies. The reason is their development is based on manufacturing and production-based economy. On the other hand, our share in world economy is meager since the development is based on service-related activities. Every one knows that production and export is a must for a country to develop. But our leaders try to attract people by announcing subsidies for the sake of votes.

Right from British rulers, Indian people have always been victims in the game of divide & rule policy. Our politicians know it; but still they play the same game by creating a problem and making it an election issue to win votes. Today, the idea of dividing Andhra Pradesh is one such ill-thought out move. All the politicians are trying to cash in on the present situation for their personal gains in the next year elections. Ultimately, people are victims in the hands of selfish political leaders.

If we look at our position in the parliament, even with the existing strength of MPs from Andhra Pradesh, we are unable to get adequate Central funds for development of the State. So what will be our fate if the number of parliamentarians is less than 20?

It is clear that both parts of the State will be suffering if Andhra Pradesh is divided. Both sides don’t want to lose the well-built capital city Hyderabad. People from one region without Hyderabad will lose many opportunities as they are considered non-local.

In the educational sector, Hyderabad has all the top institutions like IIT, NIT, ISB, BITS and many super specialty medical and management institutions. If the State is divided, many bright students will lose the opportunities for higher education. As a result, their future will be ruined.

This happens not only in education and health fields but also in other areas like agriculture, power sector, mining, etc. It is time people from both the regions realize the immense harm the State division will bring into their lives and put a stop to dirty politics being indulged by leaders in their AP division game. The time has come for all Telugu speaking people to raise their voice in unison against division of Andhra Pradesh.

(The writer is Correspondent, M K Gandhi English Medium School, Vijayawada)