ET BureauProf M Kodandaram, chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), who was at the forefront of the agitation for the formation of the new state says the Telangana government has failed to live up to the people's aspirations in the past two years. In an interview to ET, Kodandaram says the intolerant government was not good for democracy and that he would fight for realising the aspirations of the Telangana people.
How do you assess the performance of Telangana government in regard to meeting the aspirations of the people?
We feel that the government has neglected agriculture, household-industry, tiny industries and also occupational groups, which offer livelihood to majority of the people. Unless and until we take care of these professions, inclusive growth is not possible.
What do you think are the key failures of the government?
They have been neglecting agriculture. Also, the existing economic system that we have inherited from the integrated state is marked by significant disparities between Hyderabad and urban and rural areas. This is where the promises were made but they weren't fulfilled.
How do you view the government?
This government is indifferent to all those who fought for Telangana state. It must carry the people along with it rather than dismissing everyone, keeping everyone away and centralising all the powers. This government must think of improving its functioning and the governance methods. When you have the mandate, you must have the strength to decentralise and manage it in a democratic manner. It has those elements of a feudal rule, where one single individual dictates and takes all the decisions.
How do you look at progress on neellu (water), nidhulu (funds) and niyaamakaalu (jobs), the three key slogans of the Telangana movement?
So far, none of them have been fulfilled. Of course, the state's income has gone up, which we never expected. Legally, we now have a control over the river waters available to this state. These are the two significant changes after the state formation, which can be utilised for the economic development of the region.
What are the key concerns of Telangana society?
The most important concern is unemployment. Semi-educated youth comprises nearly 30% of population and there are no employment opportunities in agriculture, which is not in a position to offer a meaningful livelihood. There are nearly 20 lakh educated unemployed youth, who are unable to get absorbed by the modern industrial and services sectors.
You had raised concerns over the unabated suicides of farmers...
The entire endeavour has been to deny the suicides. Let us accept that there are suicides and on the basis of a study, let us try to find out where they are taking place and what kind crops are mainly contributing to the suicides. While there is the Land Acquisition Act 2013 in place, they have brought out a government order and are trying to acquire lands with the help of GO, which is not a good thing. We were told that they go to villages and forcefully take farmers' signatures and compel them to transfer lands to the government. This kind of an atrocious and oppressive policy is not what the people like.
There is nothing wrong in redesigning the projects per say, but we feel the cost must also be taken into consideration. We must redesign the projects to reduce the cost. The TJAC has taken up the study of irrigation projects and will come up with a note very soon. Before the contracts are awarded, the DPRs (detailed project reports) should be released and kept in the public domain.
An arm of TJAC raised concerns over the power purchase agreements entered into by the state government...
The study showed they were paying higher price compared to the prices available in the open market. This will result in a huge burden on the state exchequer.
How do you justify the timing of your criticism on the government? Some say two years is too short for any government to work wonders.
We have always been giving our suggestions. We waited for two years. We thought as a mass organisation, we need to put pressure on government to secure appropriate policies from the government with regards to agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
What role do you want to play now?
It is wrong (for the government) to think that all opposition can be managed and suppressed. We, TJAC, will remain a non-party forum and have decided to work along with other non-party forums.
How do you assess the performance of Telangana government in regard to meeting the aspirations of the people?
We feel that the government has neglected agriculture, household-industry, tiny industries and also occupational groups, which offer livelihood to majority of the people. Unless and until we take care of these professions, inclusive growth is not possible.
What do you think are the key failures of the government?
They have been neglecting agriculture. Also, the existing economic system that we have inherited from the integrated state is marked by significant disparities between Hyderabad and urban and rural areas. This is where the promises were made but they weren't fulfilled.
How do you view the government?
This government is indifferent to all those who fought for Telangana state. It must carry the people along with it rather than dismissing everyone, keeping everyone away and centralising all the powers. This government must think of improving its functioning and the governance methods. When you have the mandate, you must have the strength to decentralise and manage it in a democratic manner. It has those elements of a feudal rule, where one single individual dictates and takes all the decisions.
How do you look at progress on neellu (water), nidhulu (funds) and niyaamakaalu (jobs), the three key slogans of the Telangana movement?
So far, none of them have been fulfilled. Of course, the state's income has gone up, which we never expected. Legally, we now have a control over the river waters available to this state. These are the two significant changes after the state formation, which can be utilised for the economic development of the region.
What are the key concerns of Telangana society?
The most important concern is unemployment. Semi-educated youth comprises nearly 30% of population and there are no employment opportunities in agriculture, which is not in a position to offer a meaningful livelihood. There are nearly 20 lakh educated unemployed youth, who are unable to get absorbed by the modern industrial and services sectors.
You had raised concerns over the unabated suicides of farmers...
The entire endeavour has been to deny the suicides. Let us accept that there are suicides and on the basis of a study, let us try to find out where they are taking place and what kind crops are mainly contributing to the suicides. While there is the Land Acquisition Act 2013 in place, they have brought out a government order and are trying to acquire lands with the help of GO, which is not a good thing. We were told that they go to villages and forcefully take farmers' signatures and compel them to transfer lands to the government. This kind of an atrocious and oppressive policy is not what the people like.
How do you see the government's exercise to redesign irrigation projects?
There is nothing wrong in redesigning the projects per say, but we feel the cost must also be taken into consideration. We must redesign the projects to reduce the cost. The TJAC has taken up the study of irrigation projects and will come up with a note very soon. Before the contracts are awarded, the DPRs (detailed project reports) should be released and kept in the public domain.
An arm of TJAC raised concerns over the power purchase agreements entered into by the state government...
The study showed they were paying higher price compared to the prices available in the open market. This will result in a huge burden on the state exchequer.
How do you justify the timing of your criticism on the government? Some say two years is too short for any government to work wonders.
We have always been giving our suggestions. We waited for two years. We thought as a mass organisation, we need to put pressure on government to secure appropriate policies from the government with regards to agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
What role do you want to play now?
It is wrong (for the government) to think that all opposition can be managed and suppressed. We, TJAC, will remain a non-party forum and have decided to work along with other non-party forums.
( Originally published on Jun 10, 2016 )
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