Andhra Pradesh bifurcation
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act 6 of 2014) was notified on 1st March, 2014.
The appointed day was 2nd June 2014, the day on which the State of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into the State of Telangana and the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh.
These two regions were under different political authorities for only about 150 years.
Before the Nizam gave away the coastal districts and the ‘ceded’ districts that came to be called Rayalaseema to the European powers, historically, they were ruled from Golconda and Hyderabad for a long time.
And, they were together again since 1956.
Consequences of the bifurcation
The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh can give us some idea as to how reconfiguration can radically alter the pecking order of States.
In the united State for example, Andhra Pradesh had 42 Lok Sabha seats and was the largest State in the south India.
It could carry significant clout in the national political equation.
But now, with a mere 25 seats, effectively making it third in the pecking order in southern states
Telangana, with 17 seats, becoming fifth in the pecking order in the south.
Political, economic, and historical effects
Political expression of the grievances from both sides of the division may be delayed but is eventually inevitable.
Telangana elites are still in a euphoric mood that they won their fight for a separate State and are eager to showcase the brighter side of the consequence of their victory.
Once the euphoria wears off, their perception of the omissions and commissions of the badly handled division and their political and economic implications will begin to surface.
The Andhra Pradesh side, in the first five years after the division, got bogged down in its attempt to build for itself a world-class capital to prove to the world with a vengeance that it would overcome the loss of Hyderabad.
And the next five years were consumed by profligate direct benefit transfer (DBT) welfarism.
Alternating between these two foci will eventually bring more serious issues to the surface that could be traced to the ham-handed division of the State
For, regional economic disparities, linguistic divergences, lifestyle differences, and variations in political culture are more or less the same in all the linguistic groups across the geographies of the Presidencies and Hyderabad State.
The idea of the linguistic reorganisation of India had a long incubation period.
It was thought through, elaborately debated, agreed upon and then implemented.
That idea was seen in the national context. But a departure from it was neither thought through nor debated.
It was done as a political expediency to pacify an ongoing agitation.
Therefore, from the clumsy drafting of the act, its messy passing, the placatory assurances and their half-hearted implementation characterised the departure of a six-and-a-half decade-old mature Republic from a core organising principle of its political geography.
The Republic cannot afford such clumsy and thoughtless handling of major departures from its core organising principles.
The Andhra Pradesh bifurcation and its fallout merit a deeper and mature examination to ensure a firm footing for our Republic.
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