Guest post by BHIM REDDY
[The movement for a separate Telangana state has been raging now for quite some time. At Kafila, we have not yet had the occasion for a discussion on the pros and cons of the issue. This post deals with one aspect – that of agricultural economy and its relationship to the perceptions of discrimination. We hope that this post will lead to some debate on a very important issue. AN]
Rural Telangana has experienced income declines for ninety percent of its population, increase in inequality and a drastic decrease in the class-size of cultivators accompanied by an increase in the class-size of agricultural labourers since early 1990s. This revealing evidence is presented in Srikrishna Committee (Committee for Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh, headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna) Report based on NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi) surveys conducted once in the year 1993-94 and another in 2004-05. The Committee’s concern over this scenario, despite the purpose of its constitution being to study the situation in Andhra Pradesh state in the context of unrest in Telangana region, has not attracted any attention beyond its worry that the vulnerability of the deprived masses can be ‘used’ by political groups: “…most of the deprived communities in Telangana are facing hardship and therefore are vulnerable to mass mobilization on one pretext or the other, including political mobilization with promises which may or may not be met”. Beyond this shallow concern the Committee is indifferent to such evidence that any study characterised by objectivity and rigorous interrogation would be compelled to undertake a critical examination of the trajectory of economic development and state’s policy, and attempt to explain the cause of such deprivation and growing inequity.
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 