The agreement fell short in only two areas: balance of funds and
government jobs. The first issue of balance of funds was resolved without
much controversy. The second issue involving a mere 5,000 jobs was delayed
as the judgment was bogged down in the courts.
Today, the Telangana Martyrs Memorial stands tall at Gun Park opposite
the State Assembly Building. The Web site dedicated to those who died during
the separate state movement says the following: “After the Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre it was the 1969 Telangana movement which took more than 370
brave Indian sons, unparallel in the recent Indian history. The real culprit was
Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, known to be General Dyer of Telangana.”
The culprit was not Kasu Brahmananda Reddy.The culprits were
the cowardly politicians who did not have the guts to fight for their cause
democratically and resorted to using young men and children for their selfish
ends. Who is the real villain of this tragic episode—Kasu Brahmananda Reddy
or Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy?
The Telangana memorial is neither a symbol of bravery nor martyrdom.
To the contrary, it is a sad reminder of political opportunism. It is a standing
reminder of scores of innocent children who laid their lives down for a mere
5,000 jobs and 33 crore rupees.
The philosopher George Santayana said, Those who cannot learn from
history are doomed to repeat it.” Unfortunately, students are particularly prone
to repeat past mistakes. Given their age, students lack the historic perspective
and are driven by emotions, rather than facts. Today’s students, for the most
part, do not know how the leaders duped students in 1969–1970 and how they
lost an entire academic year while many lost their lives.
KCR so far has not fully exploited the students for his cause. However,
when push comes to shove, he is capable of using students as his trump card.
On July 2, 2007, he said, “In 6 years of Telangana movement we have not
shown a desire to include the students in the agitation. However, the time
has come where the role of students is needed.” KCR instructed the leaders
of his organization to make a personal visit to every intermediate and degree
college in Nizam Telangana. He instructed them to form committees of 15–
24 students. These committees of students, he said, would then receive special
training in Hyderabad’s Telangana Bhavan.
Special training to do what—training on how to recreate the mayhem
of 1970 or training on how to become targets of police guns? It is repulsive
that the Telangana leaders continue to exploit 15- to 17-year-old children for
their selfish ends.
The hero of our story, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, probably patted
herself on the back for skillfully defusing the Telangana crisis. Little did she
know that there was a much larger problem brewing on the horizon that
would fully test her leadership capabilities—and that challenge was the Jai
Andhra movement.
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