Jagan meets Prez, seeks support for unified AP

We wish to bring your kind notice, some of the developments and anomalies that are taking place in the State of Andhra Pradesh in the name of bifurcation which will have far reaching consequences adversely affecting crores of people of the State. The Congress Party seems to be in a tearing hurry to divide Andhra Pradesh for political reasons, unmindful of the consequences, giving scant respect to the sentiments of a multitude of the local people that is against the division.

Despite a tempestuous outrage against the division by people who are protesting for nearly four months, the adamant ruling Party is going ahead with its plans of separating the State at a breakneck speed. My humble request to Your Excellency is to consider majority opinion that is opposing the division of Andhra Pradesh.

We are making every effort to mobilize support from national parties as well with an appeal to reject the Bill in the Parliament when it is tabled, as the Bill reflects the megalomaniac nature of the Congress Party and is not in the true spirit of the federal structure as it is not the voice of the people, as more than 75% of the people of Andhra Pradesh want to remain united.

This is the time to reckon was what we appealed to all national and regional parties and called upon them to stand up against the injustice meted out to Andhra Pradesh, lt is the dichotomy, arrogance and authoritarianism of the ruling party that is being questioned and challenged, we had told the political parties.

Let not Andhra Pradesh be a precedent for the divisive tactics of the Party in power at the Centre. lf political parties that subscribe to democracy and constitutional institutions remain mute spectators, it could happen to anyone and in any state tomorrow, is our contention, Your Excellency.

We have called upon all political parties to extend their support for the cause of a United Andhra Pradesh and express solidarity with us in the Parliament and outside as well which could be an eye-opener to the Congress, preventing it from indulging in any such misadventures in future.

Your Excellency, we appeal you to intervene and safeguard the democracy as the division is being carried out unilaterally and against the federal spirit.

To give you a brief scenario of Andhra Pradesh, after the death of YSR, the state plunged into chaos and administration has virtually come to a halt for the past four and a half years. People are facing several hardships and are vexed with the anti-people policies of the congress ruled state government.

Anti-incumbency has shot skyward and the writing is on the wall that the Congress Party is losing and losing badly as was evident from the by-elections in which its candidates lost deposits or fared very badly. Congress has whipped up regional passions and brought things to this situation only to divert the attention of the people from its failures and to win a few seats and votes at least in one region.

Though 75 per cent of the population is opposing the division, it is going ahead with its plans of bifurcating the state and is trying to redefine democracy in its dictatorial accent. With your long innings in public life, Sir, we believe, you will not recall a division of this sort that has happened in the Indian history since independence. When the Congress is bypassing all the precedents, I pray that you will extend your helping hand as a Constitutional Head to our fight for justice to keep the state united.

As a knowledgeable and learned person with vast experience in public life, Sir, may we humbly request you to intervene to keep our state united. We request you to exercise the powers under Article 143 of Constitution of India on certain issues where the President of India can ask the Supreme Court for its advice.

Whether the Government of India can bifurcate the State of Andhra Pradesh without amending Articles 371 D & E which is placed in the Constitution through 32nd amendment.  Whether the Government of India can bifurcate the State of Andhra Pradesh without amending Articles 371 D & E under Article 368. lt is pertinent to mention that the amendment of Article 371 E protected in the seventh Schedule of Constitution of India requires ratification of 50% of the states in India. Whether without amending the above said Articles, can the Government of lndia exercise its powers under Article 2 to 4. lf so, such act may violate the federal spirit of the Constitution.

Also in this regard my lordship, is it fair to divide any state without an unanimous ass6mbly iesolution or at least a resolution with 2/3'd of the assembly in favour of such division as these Sates have already been reconstituted on linguistic grounds after the recommendations of the 1"'SRC in 1955 and after 60 years is it right to divide any State arbitrarily?

In this regard, your Excellency may refer these issues for judicial review in protecting the interests of the Telugu people and sovereignty of India.

The infamous Partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon (the then Viceroy of lndia) is coming to the memory of Telugu people afresh along with the British ideology of Divide and Rule as it is the same principle that AICC is adopting now. All the democratic forces in this country have to give a thought in the following lines.

1. Can the Centre use the powers vested on it arbitrarily and take undue advantage to garner a few votes and seats?

2. The Central Government took a unilateral decision to divide the State on December 9, 2009 and decision was dubbed by Congress as a birthday gift by Party President Sonia Gandhi. Can such a yardstick be applied for dividing the State?

3. Though the Centre has the power to divide the State, can it take decisions without any concrete basis, unanimous consent of the concerned assembly and rationality? The Centre does not recognize the fact that Andhra Pradesh state was formed on recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission (SRC) which regrouped the states on linguistic basis in 1955.

4. There are numerous demands for separate states elsewhere in the country. In some cases, the concerned assemblies have adopted and favoured a resolution for the division and sent it to the Centre, which in turn have been ignored so far. But it is moving at a break-neck speed to split Andhra Pradesh just six months ahead of the general elections. Why?

5. lf the Parliament endorses the division of Andhra Pradesh today, such arbitrary procedure in the days to come, will it not set a precedent for any Government at the Centre in future to arbitrarily divide any State with a simple majority in the Parliament?

6. How did the Centre take decision on bifurcating the State on October 3, 2013 without the unanimous consent of the State Assembly? Earlier, Sri Krishna Committee in its report suggested that the State stands to lose if it is divided and in the first preference it has mentioned to keep the State united. In that case what is the basis of the Cabinet note on division? Is it justified?

In 1956, assemblies of the two states of Andhra and Hyderabad separately adopted a resolution with a two-third majority for the formation of Andhra Pradesh State. Hyderabad assembly had adopted a resolution with a two-third majority for the formation of Vishalandhra (Andhra Pradesh) on linguistic basis. In the 174-member Hyderabad State Assembly, 147 participated in the voting and 103 members agreed for Vishalandhra (Andhra Pradesh).

Respecting the feelings of Telangana people who wanted Vishalandhra, the then Chief Minister of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao (a son of Telangana) sacrificed his post as Chief Minister and helped the resolution getting the sanctity of the House. Similarly, the Andhra Assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution for Vishalandhra.

It's worth recalling the speech of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the floor of the Parliament in 1972 (which is categorical on the unity of the State). In her own words, Mrs. Gandhi has said "perhaps, it was this long history which inspired the Telugu speaking people when ihey yearned and struggled for several decades to form a unified Andhra Pradesh. May I cite a bit of my personal experience? I happened to be touring parts of the south just before the report of the sates reorganization commission was made public and my ears are still reverberating with the full throated cries of Vishalandhra. lt was really the will of Telugu-speaking people which prevailed over the proposal of some people to retain the old Hyderabad state".

The Government policy is like that of the Nazi philosophy before the World War ll. Here we place the most popular quote by Martin Niemdller, the German theologian. First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew'

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic.

Then they came for me,

and there was no one left to speak for me.

If the intelligentsia, democratic institutions and people who respect the constitution keep quiet and do not react to the injustice being meted out by the Centre to Andhra Pradesh, the devil of division will raise its ugly head in any and every state in the coming days, with any party in power at the Centre unleashing their authority to weaken the state where they think they have no chance.

As these states have already been reconstituted on recommendations of State Reorganization Commission on linguistic basis, there is an absolute need to bring in a constitutional amendment which makes a two-third majority in the State Assembly and Parliament mandatory to divide or to form a new State, we told the national and regional leaders.

While amendment to the article 3 is a must in the days to come, the urgent need is to oppose the bifurcation bill of Andhra Pradesh in the Parliament and wherever it is placed has been our request and Your Excellence, I am sure, you will see the spirit of democracy in the demand.

This is the crucial hour, as democracy is on the threshold of a deceitful mansion. We have to save it and preserve its sanctity as the will of people should prevail and not the arithmetic of a few leaders. I once again urge Your Excellency to intervene and stop the undemocratic and unilateral division of Andhra Pradesh.

 Thanking you

Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy