Telugu pride at stake

Telugus have suffered several blows to their pride as well as growth for a long time. It is they who fought for identity in the erstwhile Madras Presidency and the first ones to pave way for linguistic states in the country. When the State of Andhra was formed in 1953, Madras was not included in it. They had to make a new beginning with Kurnool as their Capital.

The next "progress" was when it was merged with the Telugu speaking areas of the erstwhile Hyderabad State. Hyderabad became its capital and in 2014 AP Reorganization Act, Andhra Pradesh became a residual state with no Capital. Polavaram Project was sanctioned by the Centre as a national project. The Centre kept denying the funds for relief and rehabilitation of the oustees of the project the cost of which was around Rs 34,000 crores. Polavaram is a promise made by the BJP too. The Centre has no business to excuse itself from the project works now and insist on paying only part of the cost.

The fact that the present Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had to write a letter to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and the Central Ministries to take over the project as "it is their responsibility" in the light of the the latter's assertion that it would not be releasing the Relief and Rehabilitation cost goes to prove that the Telugus are in for yet another great betrayal by the cow belt politicians. The BJP has only exploited the TDP first and the YSRCP now for its benefit. It forced the TDP out of an alliance which was unwarranted then and it is now cornering the YSRCP.

Polavaram project was first conceptualized in 1941 itaself. In 1980, then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Tanguturi Anjaiah laid the foundation stone for the prestigious Polavaram irrigation project. In the year 2004. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy performed bhoomi pooja while the estimation cost was Rs 8,261 cr and the administrative sanction was accorded for construction of right and left canals at a cost of Rs 1,320 crore and Rs 1,353 crore respectively. After decades of delaying the main Polavaram Dam irrigation project construction began under the next successive government of N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Congress had its political compulsions in hurriedly bifurcating the State to the detriment of the residual state.

The BJP which cannot come to power on its own in the Telugu States is using coercion as a tool to force the governments out a la Tamilnadu, by starving the State of funds and weakening its governments. it is denying both the Telugu states of their rightful share of funds at every turn. It is time the political parties join hands together to take on the Centre over the criminal injustice. AP Chief Minister should convene an all-party meet for evolving a course of action. "Baat se nahi, toh laath hi sahi". Let us not forget that this is a fight for the future. Don't allow BJP to continue its dirty game for whatever reasons.