Modi must speak out

The event marking the rising of Amaravati is the right opportunity for Narendra Modi to redeem his promises to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

The covenant of special status remained a hat hung on the peg. Myriad interpretations are given by the people in power to escape critics.

The people of the state are waiting with a bated breath to hear from the Prime Minister. If the Bihar elections can be a right moment for Modi to announce a bonanza, though it was not an obligation, nothing else will be more appropriate for the central government to come out with an explicit statement. Ambiguity would be unbecoming of an articulative Prime Minister.

‘Special status is not part of the Re-organisation Act.’ ‘Finance Commission has recommended against special status.’ ‘Special status is not a panacea; we will do more than special status.’ All such cock and bull stories are recycled every day. Enough is enough. Telugu people are losing patience. They can no longer suffer ambivalence and political hollowness.

History is witness to the fact that the Telugu people could even make the mighty Indira Gandhi bite the dust when she tried to trample democracy in the state. Bifurcation was imposed on Seemandhra people against their will. The assurance of special status has Parliamentary sanction and political consensus.

More so, the present ruling dispensation was a signatory to this solemn commitment. The bifurcation of the state itself was predicated upon the promise of special status among other things mentioned in the State Re-organisation Act.

Political blame game serves no purpose. Empty rhetoric of chest-beating politicians cannot placate the hurt feelings of Andhra Pradesh people. Special status and special package are not mutually tradable commodities.

one is not in lieu of the other. Both the special status and the special package are the legitimate right of the people of Andhra Pradesh state.

The Telugu society is not ready to accept political packaging of special assistance. There is a lurking danger of Centre announcing a package subsuming existing grants and allocations to look big. The political leadership of the state needs to be wary of such political camouflaging.

Amaravati connects Telugu people of both the states since the time of Satavahanas and Kakatiyas. Rightly so, Telangana Chief Minister is to participate in the capital ceremony of Andhra Pradesh.

In the presence of two Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister should make an unequivocal statement on implementing unfulfilled aspects of the State Re-organisation Act for the successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Prime Minister leaving Amaravati without making any specific statement will be a travesty of justice and the history will not forgive the Delhi rulers in such an eventuality.

Telugu society hopes that it would not be the victim of Centre's political duplicity and discrimination. The political leadership for the reason of political expedience may accept any such unfortunate course of events.

But, the Telugu civil society known for its political consciousness cannot forgive and forget any further procrastination or prevarication on what is due to it legitimately. Prime Minister must speak out.