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“I think in Urdu, speak in Telugu
and write in English”
- Prof. Jayashankar
After 1969 Telangana Movement, second phase of Telangana movement
started in the last days of the year 2009. This movement was
basically dominated by the students with real aspirations and
willingness; there was no political aim. The only aim was to
achieve separate Telangana state. Though Telangana Rashtra Samiti
(TRS) was formed for the sole purpose of achieving separate
Telangana state and the chief architect of which is Prof.
Jayashankar. Seeing students spreading the movement solely without
any support from any political party, K Chandrasekhar Rao became
active in this movement by sitting on a fast-unto-death. With this
common people also started participating in the movement from all
kinds of background irrespective of caste, class and religion. In
the initial stages itself Prof. Jayashankar had said that, “unless
and until I am alive, I will not allow any injustice to the Muslim
community in Telangana state. Telangana movement is incomplete
without Muslims; separate Telangana cannot be formed without the
contribution of Muslim community.”
Though almost all the parties had orally declared that they will
support the Telangana bill if presented in the assembly, but at
this point of time all the parties took back their position
including TDP and Congress. Moreover, congress government at the
centre initially issued a statement in favour of separate
Telangana, but immediately withdrew its statement. The regional
opposition party TDP also took anti-Telangana stand. Due to these
reasons, BJP & RSS took the advantage of the prevailing conditions
and entered into this movement. Then onwards this movement slowly
moved towards Hindutva.
People pressurized the political parties and their candidates who
were in favour of Telangana to resign from their positions and
build pressure on the central government to form separate
Telangana state. Thus, all the MLAs of TRS, candidates of other
parties resigned from their positions. In the year 2010,
by-elections were held for all those vacant positions. That time
BJP candidate contested from Nizamabad constituency. But the fact
is that without the Muslim votes, BJP would not have won the seat.
Even though Muslim community underwent the pain of Gujarat
genocide because of BJP, still they not only campaigned but whole
heartedly voted for BJP candidate only for a single aim of
achieving separate Telangana state. That itself proved that
Muslims are the real secularists by nature.
But by the time by-elections came up in 2012, the conditions of
whole Telangana movement changed drastically. From the time of BJP
entry into the movement, RSS started propagating Hindutva ideology
and spread hatred among the non-Muslim community in the Telangana
region especially in Hyderabad. The major example is the Hyderabad
riots in the year 2010 on the eve of and on the name of Ram Navami
and Hanuman Jayanti leave alone several small incidents of hatred.
The spread of Hindutva ideology and hatred against Muslim
community reached its peak level during the by-elections in A.P.
especially in the Telangana region.
When the name for Mahboobnagar constituency was decided, Kodandram
Reddy suggested withdrawing Ibrahim’s name because he wanted to
field Srinivas Goud as he is closely associated with Reddy. This
was to gain benefits politically. However, KCR thought of larger
political gain. He wanted to target two aims with a single arrow.
So, on one side he wanted to show sympathy towards Muslims to gain
their votes for all the seats and on the other side he wanted to
show congress that TRS is not with BJP. For this reason he
neglected Mahboobnagar campaign. Thus, he fielded a Muslim
candidate for namesake to appease Muslims and challenged BJP that
it cannot win the particular seat. In clear terms we can say that
KCR offered Mahboobnagar seat to BJP.
As chairman of Telangana political JAC, the role of Kodandram
Reddy was to give a call of support to TRS candidate. But as said
earlier, he wanted to field his own candidate and on the other
side as BJP candidate was a REDDY, he declared that he is taking a
unilateral position by saying that this is the fight for Telangana
so vote for whoever you want. So, a person who claims to be
secular and rights activist has gone to such a biased and communal
position. Telangana NGOs JAC openly declared support and
campaigned for BJP candidate, because Srinivas Goud belongss to
TNGOs JAC and he was denied Mahboobnagar seat by TRS. BJP during
its campaign had declared that Mahboobnagar election is Indo-Pak
cricket match and we should defeat Razakars, such statements were
not condemned by anyone. This alone proves that TRS party, T-JAC,
its members, various other JACs, Forums and all the so-called
secularists and democrats have soft corner towards Hindutva. Not
only this, during the MLC elections, another Muslim candidate from
Hyderabad, Mahmood Ali, Minority wing President who is a sincere
and senior member of TRS lost MLC seat just by three votes and
these three people who did not give their vote to him were from
the TRS itself. Even that time, KCR did not take any action
against those three persons.
The sad affair of Indian society is that Muslims have to prove
their secularism again and again at different times. Is this the
responsibility of only Muslims? If Muslims have to prove their
secularism, they also expect non-Muslims to be secular towards
them. Instead larger section of non-Muslims can remain communal
and spread the same; there is no one to question them! Blame is
always on Muslims. When Muslims can vote a BJP candidate, then why
can’t non-Muslims vote a Muslim candidate? Is this their
secularism? Where are the so-called democrats and secularists?
Would these so called secularists and democrats have spared
Muslims, if they had not voted BJP in Nizamabad? Would they have
not labeled Muslims as anti-telanganites? Why is such double
standard maintained by the politicians, secularists, democrats,
civil society etc towards Muslim community?
Now, it is high time for Muslims to think over Telangana movement.
Because it is no more a democratic and sincere movement. Everyone
is in the race of personal benefits in the name of Telangana. The
so-called democrats and secularists’ double standard faces have
been exposed and the real faces are in front of us. Now, it is
time to recognize these faces and choose our own way. Even after
such black mailing and back stabbing Muslims, neither KCR nor
Kodandram Reddy feel ashamed. Instead, they are celebrating this
defeat and Hindutva victory as people’s victory. In one sentence
we can say that Telangana movement failed in the LITMUS test of
secularism and democracy and turned completely into Hindutva
fascism. Muslims confidence has been shaken. Now it is time for
KCR to take the responsibility of Mahboobnagar election defeat.
Not only this, KCR should resign from the Presidentship of TRS and
Kodandram Reddy should resign from Chairmanship of Telangana
Political JAC. Then only the movement will move ahead otherwise,
people especially Muslim community will give them the right
answer.
Kaneez Fathima is with Hyderabad-based Civil Liberties Monitoring
Committee.
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