Article : Shri Arun Jaitley on "The Need for Reconciliation in Andhra Pradesh"

The Need for Reconciliation in Andhra Pradesh

- Arun Jaitley

Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha)

As the term of the UPA moves towards an end, it has little stake left in the system. “After me the deluge” is what the UPA wants to leave behind. The earlier days of its tenure have been marked by decline of institutions, slackness in the pace of growth of the economy, corruption reducing the level of credibility of governmental decision making.

The UPA has now completely collapsed on dispute resolution in relation to creation of a State of Telangana. It has unleashed forces within its own party which it no longer can control. The holding of a parliamentary session without disturbances has now become rare. The disturbance is not by mainstream Opposition but by UPA’s own members. Government, particularly the Prime Minister Office and the Home Ministry are completely paralyzed and taking no initiative in resolving the issues at hand.

Even today it is still not too late to pick up the threads and work towards a larger consensus. Issues such as creation of a capital for Seemandhra, eventual creation of a separate High Court in Seemandhra, compensating the region with regard to the loss of revenue caused by a bifurcation, comfort level with regard to water and power in the regions are amongst other issues which are capable of being resolved. The NDA while creating the three States of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh had amicably resolved these issues. The causes of the parliamentary stalemate and the ugly scenes one saw on Thursday are essentially UPA provoked. Most Members disturbing the proceedings belong to the UPA. No effort has been made to reconcile the differences between representatives of Telangana and Seemandhra. The Government has not provided a forum for conciliation. The Parliament is unable to discuss the aspirations of the two regions. In the process Indian democracy continues to get a bad name. The image of the ugly politician emanating from what is happening in the Parliament continues to dominate the popular perception. Both Telangana and Seemandhra live with a sense of injustice being done to them. The UPA Government has taken leave of all sense of statecraft. Even today it is not too late to provide a forum within or outside the parliament for a process of conciliation which can forthwith lead to the creation of Telengana while addressing the genuine concerns of the people of Seemandhra.

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