Rosaiah Commission on Telangana

The committee has been constituted in pursuance of Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s announcement in the Assemblythat the government had no objection in principle to the formation of Telangana and that it would constitute a joint committee of members of both houses to deliberate on the ‘issues and concerns’.

The Finance Minister K. Rosaiah will head an eight-member committee comprising members of both houses of Legislature to deliberate on the issues and concerns for the formation of Telangana. Among them, seven are from the Congress and a lone MIM member..The Opposition parties – TRS, CPI (M), CPI and BJP – refused to nominate their representatives to the committee after Chief Secretary P. Ramakanth Reddy wrote them separate letters. It was proposed that the Congress and the TDP should nominate two members each and all others one each.

They are Konathala Ramakrishna, J. Geetha Reddy (both Ministers), N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, Akbaruddin Owaisi (all MLAs), R. Padmaraju and Shaik Hussain (MLCs). 

Four of them are from Telangana, three from Andhra and one from Rayalaseema.

Exhaustive TOR (terms of reference) is given to the Committee. Core of the issue is ‘consensus’, whether it is there and how to achieve it from every section of the country, which is respected by even separatists during past five years. The Committee started conducting a comprehensive study of all points in the TOR consulting all sections including settlers and minorities etc in every region of the state to know what they think of separate Telangana, Greater Hyderabad and any other state demand. Draft Report of the Committee is prepared already to ensure no time is lost in a mission of such great cause. Details will be added in the course of consultations in the next few weeks so that the report is submitted at any appropriate time. Committee elicited YSR’s views also, who is one of the citizens, but due care has been taken to present the same very objectively.
TERMS OF REFERENCE:

1)Identify economic issues responsible for a separate statehood sentiment: Telangana demand is rooted in the sense of discrimination in development. Inadequate share in jobs, budgetary allocations, political posts, contracts of development projects like materialistic perceptions among backward regions are exploited by unemployed politicians in the name of separatist movement.  

2)Concerns of migrant population in Telangana: Migrants, Settlers (also amply appreciated by the anti- Congress parties like TRS etc), minorities, tourists and real estate brokers from coastal and Rayalaseema regions consider Hyderabad an inalienable part of the state and if, God forbid, there is separate Telangana state, then Greater Hyderabad with 150 km radius should be made into a Union Territory. Statutory obligations for keeping it so include so many treaties with industry & infrastructure groups (see, concessions granted in Agreement with GMR Airport Authority). 

3)Maoist & terrorist threat in proposed Telangana: Maoist and terrorist activities have been apprehended by all sections of the state.  A separate state would turn Telangana into naxal state and is detrimental not only to Telangana which lived with it for decades but to peace loving neighbouring regions and the entire country. 

4)Concerns of Minorities in the proposed Telangana: Muslims of erstwhile Hyderabad state are apprehensive of communal backlash in separate Telangana. Muslims of Hyderabad and all over the state strongly urged that samaikya Andhra alone, with migrants pouring into Hyderabad from all corners, would ensure preservation and promotion of Urdu and Muslim identity. Minorities are highly appreciative of the special measures initiated by the current government to protect Wakf lands, concessions made for pilgrims to Haj and Jerusalem, and liberal promises like help to 3 million poor guys facing hardships in Gulf. 

5)Demands for separate states by other regions: There is demand for separate state from several pockets and some districts. Commission examined gravity, potential threat and sentiments of separatist demand of Rayalaseema, Jai Andhra, Kalinga Andhra in general & more specifically separate Hyderabad, Separate Cuddapah state among several other nascent but potential district based separatist movements. It is also noticed that Anantapur & Kurnool like to form a separate state with parts of Karnataka, if AP is divided. If one more new state is accepted the fabric of national unity is at threat. However, the sustainability of our great nation, unity in diversity, is still strong because the Commission has found not a single demand for separate state for women or men or children. 6)Relocation costs and consequential issues: The detailed enquiry into costs of relocations in the eventuality of a separate Telangana. Telangana would have to pledge all its rivers, cities, infrastructure, industry, coal mines and land fit for real estate or SEZ projects for about fifty years to the state governments of Andhra and Rayalaseema towards the relocation costs.

7)Modalities for sharing river waters vis-à-vis the existing situation: Godavari and other natural resources from Telangana, near completion of Polavaram & other dams.

8)Overall & harmonious development of all regions if there is Telangana state: Growth of Telangana in harmony with Andhra and Rayalaseema was found to be need of the hour.
9)Hope for a Better Future of Telangana & AP: Equitible development is corner stone of a healthy state. Youth is the promise of a society free of archaic sentiments of regionalism. 

10)Monitoring Inter-regional progress & promotion of people’s movements:longitudinal data and cohorts will be carried out on all aspects examined by the Commission through independent research bodies and universities in Andhra Pradesh. Intellectuals and philosophers of the state will be enlisted to conduct in-depth studies on every aspect with proper blend of multi-disciplinary approach: particularly the economic-political-sociological-gender-caste- dalit- settler- corporate governance- media- philosophy perspectives. 

11)Miscellaneous: aspects that committee required
(IN BRIEF
To go into the economic issues that propel Telangana sentiment and to examine the facts relating to employment, exploitation of resources, etc.;
concerns of minorities in the proposed Telangana;
status of Hyderabad Metropolitan Area taking into consideration the migrant population;
concerns of the migrant population in the rest of Telangana (excluding Hyderabad);
issues relating to Maoist and Terrorist activities in the context of a proposed Telangana set-up; modalities for sharing of river waters vis-À-vis the existing situation;
Infrastructure and service facilities in the State capital relocation and consequential issues;
issues pertaining to existing demands for separate States by other regions; and
working out a strategy for the overall and harmonious development of all regions in the event of formation of a Telangana State.)