It had been nine months since the students of the region left their
classrooms, and most of them lost an academic year. Those in the final year of
schools and colleges were particularly hard hit.
On September 22, 1969, President of India Sri V. V. Giri was on a state
visit to Andhra Pradesh. TPS was already taking much heat for playing with
student’s lives by involving them in a political movement. On the eve of the
president’s visit, TPS and the Students’ Union gave a call for all the students
to return to their classes. Student leader Mallikarjun said that the union had
decided to ensure that the movement did not affect the students’ education.
After ruining an entire academic year, student leader Mallikarjun realized that
he needed to protect the students’ futures.
Chenna Reddy personally visited President V. V. Giri and gave him the
news that the students were returning to classes. President Giri was elated
and assured Chenna Reddy that he would do his best for a speedy resolution
of the crisis.
The government continued to give sops to the Telangana region in an
effort to win over the people’s hearts. Education Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao
announced that the government would open 10 more junior colleges in the
Nizam Telangana region. In the fourth five-year plan, the state government
earmarked 45 crore rupees for Telangana, including 28 crores of the balance of
funds. The government also announced that it would spend 38% of the state’s
total development budget on Telangana. In addition, CM Brahmananda
Reddy agreed to increase Telangana’s share of the budget to 42% for the
next two years. The government, for the first time, released water to 40,000
acres under the Pochampad Project. It further announced special subsidies
to industries coming in six districts of Nizam Telangana and two districts of
Rayalaseema. These subsidies included 7.5% interest on industrial loans and a
choice to pay the first installment after five years from the time the enterprise
raises the loan.
TPS got an opportunity to test its mettle in the electoral waters. In the by-
election necessitated by the death of the candidate in the Khairatabad constituency,
TPS presented its candidate. TPS candidate Nagam Krishna Rao won with a
landslide majority. Encouraged by this success, TPS, on July 23, 1969, decided to
become a political party. Three months later, in the Siddipeta re-election, the TPS
candidate again won with a landslide majority of 20,000 votes.
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