Bundle OF Lies about Andhra State Formation
Potti SriRamulu undertook fast-unto-death is truth. He sacrificed his life is truth.
What did he want? Why did he sacrifice his life?
To achieve separate state for Telugu speaking people is a LIE
To carve out a Telugu speaking state by dividing Madras Presidency is a LIE
We read he died for the cause of Andhra State, that’s what people put up in wiki, that is what the CM says. The bloody Samaykya Andhra lobby in fact says he died for formation of Andhra Pradesh.
Consider this, if Central Government agreed to form a separate state of Telangana, and if Andhra Pradesh Government had passed a resolution in assembly favoring formation of Telangana.
In this scenario, will anybody go on a fast for formation of Telangana?
Similar situation existed when Potti SriRamulu undertook fast-unto-death.
The Central Government agreed to recommendations of JVP committee to form separate Andhra State.
The Madras Presidency assembly passed a resolution to this effect.
Will anybody undertake fast for Andhra in this scenario?
Potti Sriramulu did. Why? He was unhappy with one of the recommendations in JVP committee
that said, Andhras have no claim on Madras City.
He wanted Madras to be capital of Andhra, if not at least common capital of Andhra and Madras Presidency.
Did he achieve this even after his death? NO.
Dear Samaykya Andhra Lobby: please understand what potti sriramulu stood for and what he achieved.
(On the sidelines JVP committee did not have anybody from non-Telugu speaking areas of Madras. It had Pattabi SitaRamayya representing Telugu speaking areas of Madras. The others in the committee were Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel. Contrast this with demand for consultations today that people from non-Telangana areas of Andhra Pradesh be included in any consultations.)
BELOW is an article written by M Narayan Reddy on Potti Sriramulu and appeared in zeenews. This is based on historical data. (not from Textbooks that AP Govt. publishes!!)
M Narayan Reddy
1. The 57th death anniversary of Amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu was marked on 15 December, 2009. Hence, it is an appropriate occasion to pay our ‘homage’ to the great ‘Sarvodaya Leader’ who sacrificed his life after a long period of ‘fasting’ for 52 days for a laudable cause. It is also a proper occasion to recall the objective of his ‘fast’ and the events that followed his martyrdom on December 15, 1952.
2. At the time of his ‘fast’ Madras Province was under the rule of Congress party and Sri Rajagopalachary was the Chief Minister of the state. In this context it is pertinent to note that the Madras Government had not ‘imposed any restrictions’ on his ‘fast’. Consequently, he was able to continue his ‘fast’ uninterrupted for 52 days before his death on December 15, 1952 in contrast to what happened in AP with respect to KCR Rao’s ‘fast’ which he commenced on November 29, 2009.
3. In the above connection it may be recalled that there was a controversy on the purpose of the ‘fast’. There were two versions of this controversy as stated below:
a) To achieve Andhra state, or
b) To get Madras city made the capital of Andhra state
In the above circumstances it may be necessary to refer to the facts and events that had taken place during the Andhra Movement as described hereunder.
4. Agitation for Andhra state: In May 1913, the First Andhra Mahasabha was held in Bapatla to launch a people’s movement for a separate Andhra province. It was a popular movement as leaders from all sections of the society participated in it. In later years similar conferences were held every year which passed resolutions urging the Central Government to create Andhra province by bifurcation of Madras province. But the then British Government had not accepted the demand for Andhra province until Independence in 1947. In this context it is significant to note that leaders of Rayalaseema had not supported the demand for Andhra province for many years as they feared domination of leaders from coastal districts in all fields, including Council of Ministers, Legislature and Administration of the new state.
5. Dhar Commission, 1948: After Independence the ‘Constituent Assembly’ appointed Dhar Commission in June 1948 to examine the issue of formation of linguistic states. Andhra leaders submitted many representations to this commission for the creation of Andhra province. The commission submitted the report in December 1948 to the Central Government. This report was not favourable to the demand of Andhra province as well as to other linguistic states. Hence, there was much criticism against this report as it had not favoured linguistic states. Consequently, the Congress party appointed a “three-man committee” in Jaipur session of the Congress. This committee consisted of the following three members:
i) Jawaharlal Nehru
ii) Vallabhbai Patel
iii) Pattabhi Sitaramaiah (a great leader of Andhra)
This committee was popularly known as JVP committee.
6. The JVP Committee:
a) The JVP Committee recommended for the creation of Andhra province with undisputed Telugu areas. It also ‘advised the Andhras to give up their claim on Madras city’.
b) Implementation of JVP Committee report:
The Central Government accepted the JVP Committee Report and advised the Madras Government to take steps for the creation of Andhra province.
7. Madras Government decision:
On December 7, 1949 the Madras Government appointed a ‘Partition Committee’ consisting of seven members:
i. PS Kumaraswamy Raja (Chief Minister) - Chairman
ii. M Bhaktavastalam - Member
iii. K Madhava Menon - -do-
iv. T Krishnamachari - -do-
v. B Gopala Reddy - -do-
vi. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy - -do-
vii. T Prakasam - -do-
The ‘Partition Committee’ was asked to consider the division of assets and liabilities of the proposed provinces, i.e. Madras and Andhra.
8. The Partition Committee report: This committee recommended formation of ‘Andhra province’ before January 26, 1950 with 11 districts of Andhra region and 3 talukas of Bellary district. Other recommendations are as below:
a) Madras should not be capital of Andhra province even temporarily.
b) Before January 26 Andhra should get its own capital.
c) The Madras Government should give Rs 1 crore to Andhra for ‘renunciation’ of all offices kept in Madras.
This report was accepted by the Madras Government and it decided to extend the date of formation of Andhra province to April 1, 1950.
9. Dissenting note by T Prakasam:
Sri T Prakasam, a member of the Partition Committee gave a ‘dissenting note’ in the report. In this dissent, he suggested that Madras should become temporary capital of Andhra province.
10. Settlement of Andhra Issue:
(a) The two demands made by Andhras were settled with unanimous decision of the ‘Partition Committee’ which included 3 stalwarts of Andhra region, i.e. (i) B Gopala Reddy (ii) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and (iii) T Prakasam. And the settlement reached was that “Andhra province should be formed by April 1, 1950 and Madras would not be the capital of the proposed Andhra province”.
(b) It can be seen from the above that the decision for the creation of ‘Andhra Province’ was taken as back as December 1949 with the ‘consent’ of all the important leaders of Andhra region. It may also be noted that all ‘claims for Madras City as capital of Andhra province were given up’ with the consent of responsible Andhra leaders. In other words there was no other issue pending by December 1950 except the implementation of the above ‘settlement’.
In view of the above settlement there was no scope for any further agitation or protests by Andhra people except on the question of implementation of the settlement.
11. Why he fasted: In the light of the above ‘facts and events’ we may now examine the objective of the fast undertaken by Amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu. It is well known that Sri Sreeramulu commenced his fast-unto-death in Madras in the last week of October 1952. The reasons for this fast given in ‘his own words’ were listed in several documents, which were identified as his letters and manifestoes and issued before the fast commenced. Some of his statements in these documents are cited below to appreciate his ‘object and feelings’ in the matter.
(a) In his reply to Swamy Sitaram’s letter dated October 2, 1952, he clarified about the object of his fast. The relevant para is extracted below:
“My Fast begins only for determining the future of Madras City”, he declared. “During my fast, people themselves will come to a decision….. My fast is intended to make the people and at least some Tamils in the City to agree to Madras becoming a separate State. Therefore, if I leave the question of the City in doubt and undertake the fast, I shall be failing in my purpose and duty”.
(b) He also issued two manifestoes before commencing the ‘fast’ on the following dates:
(i) First manifesto - 30-09-1952
(ii) Final manifesto- 19-10-1952
(c) In his manifestoes he stated that he wanted Madras City as the capital of Andhra state and he wanted to focus on this issue by way of the fast. In his final manifesto issued on October 10, 1952 he stated as under:
“A very serious attempt has to be made to bring about an agreed settlement over the FUTURE of Madras City”. All reasonable Andhras and Tamils should be brought together and made to come to an ‘Agreement’ over the Madras City COMMON to Andhras and Tamils.
(d) In another letter dated: 13-9-1952 addressed to Sri Bh Laxminarayan, Advocate, Madras, he had described his “intense attachment to Madras City” in the following words:
“I am doing this in the belief that all parts of the country can progress on peaceful lines. I was born and educated in Madras City. It is not my intention to coerce anybody. I have no hope that I shall survive unless this object is achieved. I am undertaking this fast in the belief that all those who are connected with this question will look at it in no narrow manner”.
As regards ‘Andhra State’ Sri Sreeramulu stated in the draft manifesto in his own words which are described below:
“That the desire of our people for a separate State is just and legitimate has been conceded by the State and Central Governments. Today there is no question about the need of a State. There is unanimity both among the people and the Government on this question. They are all anxious about an early formation of the State”.
It is abundantly clear from the above statement that Sri Sreeramulu was satisfied with the Government decision on Andhra state. But as regards Madras city he had his own ‘ideas’. In this connection he urged Tamils and Andhra people living in Madras City to come to an agreement to make Madras city as a common capital for both. In this context he also referred to the wishes of Andhra people living in Madras city in the following words:
“The Andhra leaders of the city do not want an Andhra State without Madras. Sri Unnava Lakshminarayana wants an agitation for Hyderabad. There are others who are content with only a State. That the desire of our people for a separate State is just and legitimate, has been conceded by the State and Central Governments”.
It is thus clear that the “Agenda” of the fast was in respect of “Madras city” only as the capital of Andhra state or a common capital of Tamils and Andhras. But this issue was already settled by the Central Government as well as Madras Government in December 1950 and accepted by responsible Andhra leaders as mentioned above. In such a situation his desire was not fulfilled by his fast. As a result a precious life was lost on the one hand and people of Andhra lost a great Sarvodaya Leader in him on the other.
Conclusion: There is much confusion in the minds of many of the present generation of leaders and youth about the object of the fast. In this context many people think that he fasted for achieving Andhra State while some others express the view that his fast was responsible for the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956. And what is more surprising is that these versions prominently figured in press and TV interviews as well as statements following the agitation for ‘United Andhra’ in Andhra region. So the facts mentioned above are crystal clear to remove all ‘misgivings’ about the “Agenda or object” of the fast undertaken by Amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu. Whatever may be the outcome of his fast there is a need for honouring his memory in glowing terms.
(M Narayan Reddy is a former MP from Nizamabad)
