Telangana seethes on eve of PM's maiden visit

 

Telangana is already facing unrest due to the government's decisions in Mallanna sagar villages, Mahbubnagar projects and Yellampalli project villages. 

 

Adding to those woes, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) now faces the EAMCET-2 question paper leak and the striking down by the High Court of the appointments of vice-chancellors to the all universities in the state. These appointments had already been long delayed by KCR. 

 

All these new agitations have further added to Telangana's worries, which is also being rocked by KCR's decision to create new districts. 

 

More bandhs, dharnas and 'rasta rokos' are expected to occur in the next few days.

 

And thus the question arises - Will Telangana remain peaceful during the maiden visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Gajwel on August 7?

 

If opposition parties create problems during the PM's visit, it will lead to large-scale arrests and a severe law and order problem. If the government resorts to preventive arrests of all opposition leaders on the eve of the PM's visit, it would be lead to a dangerous confrontation.

 

All opposition parties and various students’ organisations are waiting to pounce on the government, in case KCR decides to cancel EAMCET-2 wholly and announce EAMCET-3.  The government has been facing fierce criticism on the question paper leakage, as the CM has been silent on the issue. 

 

KCR's silence is attributed to the fact that if he follows the precedent he had himself had set earlier, then he would have to act against two ministers - education and health .

 

A year ago, he had sacked the then health minister T Rajaiah, who was also deputy chief minister, claiming that he (KCR) had received charges of corruption against Rajaiah. 

 

Currently, though the future of thousands of students is at stake, the casual approach in the conducting of EAMCET-2 has become more than apparent. 

 

The sacking of two ministers, including another deputy chief minister, in one go, would reflect on the chief minister’s ability to pick talent. 

 

Moreover, there is little public support for KCR's ministers. Though the 'Free Telangana' sentiment catapulted KCR and his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to power, many of the cabinet berths in the new government have been given to those who worked against Telangana or were not associated with the movement. 

 

So, whatever decision KCR takes, it is bound to create a hostile reaction from all sections and that anger may extend up to August 7, if not crushed with an iron fist.

 

On the other side, the Congress has been emboldened by a High Court directive allowing former deputy chief minister Damodara Rajanarasimha and former minister Sunitha Laskham Reddy to visit the victims of the Mallanna Sagar police lathi charge. 

 

It's a victory of sorts for the Congress since leaders have not been allowed in the Mallanna Sagar area ever since it became a 'disturbed zone'. 

 

On July 29, opposition leaders K Jana Reddy (Assembly), Md Ali Shabbir (Council) were arrested when they tried to enter Medak district limits. All senior party leaders staged a dharna in front of the police station and cooked their food on the road itself. 

 

Finally, the police released Jana and Shabbir late in the night. The Congress is planning to organise agitations on the eve of PM’s visit as well.

 

Far away from Hyderabad, a new kind of unrest is building up in the Yellampalli project area in Adilabad district, where residents from five villages have refused to vacate their villages even water from the Godavari is surging towards their houses. The villagers are ready to die in the floodwaters, rather than leaving their villages without any rehabilitation arrangements. 

 

Nine villages have come under the submergence area, following the government’s decision to store 20 tmcft of water in the Yellampalli project. The villagers alleged that only four of the nine villages had been given a rehabilitation package, and rest had been left in the lurch.

 

In the meantime, 144 section is still in force in the Gajwel area, the venue for PM Modi’s programs on August 7. Gajwel falls in the 'disturbed' area of Mallanna Sagar. The PM is scheduled to launch 'Mission Bhagiratha', the prestigious project designed by CM KCR.

 

So from angles, it seems highly unlikely the PM's maiden visit to Telangana will be without some political drama.