Solving Telangana. All-party meeting must evolve a consensus

Union Home Minister Chidambaram’s invitation to eight recognized parties in Andhra Pradesh to meet him on January 5 for ‘wide-ranging’ discussions to resolve the ongoing imbroglio for a separate state is a step in the right direction. Coming after his assurance on wider consultations on the issue in a statement on December 23, the invitation is aimed at evolving a consensus. The political parties cannot shy away from their responsibility to restore order and calm in the state ravaged by unrest over the vexed issue. Significantly, the Centre’s in-principle nod to statehood for Telangana had come after a consensus had emerged at an all-party meeting on December 7. However, when the Telangana region on the one hand and coastal Andhra and Rayalseema on the other began polarising along regional lines, all parties, including the Congress, found themselves split down the middle on the issue.

Parties like the TDP and the Praja Rajyam Party, which had earlier pledged open support to the cause of the Telangana state and had aligned with the avowedly pro-Telangana TRS in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, did a complete volte face, after they found the non-Telangana regions opposing the bifurcation of the state. It does not behove parties to shift their position on key issues as per their political convenience. It is vital that they behave responsibly, first by attending the January 5 meeting and then by working with due sincerity to defuse the situation. Indulging in doublespeak or dragging their feet in the restoration of peace would eventually expose them before the people at large.
The state has indeed suffered enormous damage in the three weeks since the Centre’s nod on Telangana. Industrial production has been crippled, investor sentiment jolted, tourism has been severely affected, work in offices has been paralysed and education in schools and colleges has been hit. It is, therefore, imperative that the January 5 meeting be not a wasted opportunity. A durable solution must be found in a spirit of give and take. For Mr Chidambaram too this is a challenge and an opportunity to prove his negotiating skills.

Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India.

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