My Letter to Sri Krishna Committee

Respected Sir,

Sub: Division of Andhra Pradesh

I have been a resident of the state of Andhra Pradesh for over 20 years. I was born, brought up and have lived in Hyderabad for over 20 years. I propose that the state should not be divided and following are the reasons for my proposal.

1. Separatists in favor of separate Telangana and separate Andhra have been proposing the division of state citing backwardness as the main reason. Backward areas exist and will continue to exist in all the three regions even after separation of the state as long as the local leaders and politicians do not strive for their betterment.
2. Few separatists who have cited backwardness as a reason earlier have now changed their stand and are citing the Telangana people’s wish and self-respect as the reason for state division. Clearly, this is a double standard and these are the politicians who are dividing the state for their personal gains and vested interests. In spite of their repeated insisting, this in no way represents the entire Telangana people’s wish.
3. There have been repeated controversies among few southern states over allocation of river waters. Addition of another state would only complicate matters further.
4. A new state would require a new capital and the entire associated infrastructure like Assembly, High Court and Secretariat. This would be a huge financial drain on the central government. Instead, at a time when agriculture in our country is reeling, these funds can be used for many agricultural schemes throughout India.
5. Andhra Pradesh is one of the few states that has a coastal belt. In the past as well, the British have opted to rule Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema instead of Telangana as they provided a means for trading through sea transportation. Division of state would deprive Telangana of this advantage.
6. Without any doubt, Hyderabad is the bone of contention for state division. For tens of years, millions of people have migrated from various districts of all the three regions to Hyderabad and have co-existed in peace and harmony. Today, it is not possible to differentiate a Telangana and a Non-Telangana person in Hyderabad. Division of the state would virtually divide the people of Hyderabad. At a time when the name Hyderabad is being taken with utmost respect and is being considered as a brand by the western world, division within the people would be the start of downfall of Hyderabad. As a result, all three regions would be affected as revenues from Hyderabad would take a hit.

I urge you to consider my letter and save Andhra Pradesh from the conspiring forces.

Regards,
Krishna Chaitanya.

http://www.krishnachaitanya.in/blog/2010/03/my-letter-to-sri-krishna-committee/