How many more before Telangana is achieved

Venugopal Reddy, Bhooma Reddy, Suvarna, Anil Kumar, Raju, J Srinivas, the list of students who have laid down their lives in desperation, because of the Center’s apathy to Telangana cause, is endless. Wonder, how many more lives need to be laid down before the Central Government, and the various political parties take action. The list would have included another 300 more had the police yesterday used live cartridges instead of rubber pellets to stop Venugopal’s funeral procession from entering the city.

The brute force unleashed by the police force on a funeral procession, was uncalled for and in gross violation of human rights. Maybe, for the state administration and the central leadership, the 3.5 crore Telangana people are not humans. And they deserve neither justice and dignity while alive nor respect and honour in death. The specious explanation given that it might have led to a law and order situation in the city is untenable. The administrations handling of the Telangana struggle is reminiscent of the British rules response to India’s freedom movement.

Maybe, the powers that be felt that seeing Venugopal’s mortal remains at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, would have pricked the long dead conscience of Telangana leaders and forced them to open their eyes to plight of the people. Maybe, it would have jolted some of them out of the stupor of power with which they are intoxicated to listen to the cry of the people and submit their resignations. Maybe, the administration was worried that Gandhi’s statue in the Assembly premises might have been moved to speak in favour of Telangana. For it is more believable that our plight and cry for justice be heard by a statue than by our leaders.

Do the Telangana leaders empathize with and relate to the despair of our youth who are driven to taking their lives because they feel dejected, alienated and oppressed in their own state. Or is it that they are so enured to using our hopes and aspirations of a free state for their political ambitions that the suicides of a handful of students makes no dent in their conscience. How many more lives need to be sacrificed, how many more Vengopal’s and Suvarna’s does India want before Telangana is created.

Maybe for the Central Leadership the numbers are too meager to justify Telangana. Maybe it has set the target for taking action at a 100, or 1000, or maybe even 10000. We are tired of second guessing the threshold you have set for listening to our demand. Just tell us how many, and you shall have it. For we the people of Telangana are willing to pave the road from Hyderabad to Delhi with our lives.

Jai Telangana
Jai Hind

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