The Three Musketeers of AP (Part-I)

Yes! The Three Musketeers in reference here are the Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana regions of the united Andhra Pradesh state. Let’s have a quick glance at them:

Andhra Region:
Definitely the most developed region of the state. Except for Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram districts, this region can be considered as the power center of AP. With abundant water flow from Goadavari and Krishna rivers, the plains of the Gunturu, Krishna and Godavari districts are extreme fertile lands that regularly yield three crops an year. Further, the coastal line is is a very good natural resource of sea products and ports, that lead sea trade to flourish. For almost a century, the literacy rate of this region has been high (as compared to the other two regions). This resulted in sharpened soft skills of the Andhraites. 

Kamma, Kapu, Reddy, Kshatriya, Velama, Kalinga and a (politically)diminished Brahmins are the predominant ruling communities. People of this region are politically very motivated with strong communal feelings. People know the strength of unity and generally identify each other by their communities and align within themselves accordingly. Over a period of time, Kammas’ have clearly established their supremacy over the rest. Kammas of Godavari, Krishna and Guturu districts have become such a strong ‘power center of AP’ that the industrialists of these four districts can topple any ruling governance over night.

Rayalaseema Region:
'Seema’ as it is called in short, is equally as backward as Telangana region. Most of the region usually records a very low rainfall. Though Krishna and it’s sub-rivers flow through this region, the overall catchment area for cultivation is very minimal. The Srisailam dam is a Hydro-electric power project and hardly addresses any agricultural needs. Parching summers force people of lower sects from Kurnool and Anantapur districts to relocate themselves as daily wage coolies to other major cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore and even as far as Bombay and Surat.

Alike Andhra region, people of Seema region are also politically very motivated with strong communal feelings. Reddys dominate most of the scenario, Kamma(Naidu) being the second dominant caste sect. Any discussion on Seema backwardness without a mention of ’factionalism’ shall be incomplete. For more than a century, the economically strong feudalistic families of Seema are nurturing their own private armies (faction) to maintain their supremacy over a village (or their own defined region) and on the opponent groups of the region. With their huge convoys, armed private personnel and a blood for blood policy, the factional leaders’ usually project a larger than life image among the public. Thus they develop a hero worship among the people. Post independence, politics became the natural arena for these factional leaders to safe guard their own interests creating constant peace disruption. Thus public welfare took a back seat. The outcome of the factionalism has been the development of mass adorned powerful leaders from this region. Almost 25 of the 53 years of the state are ruled by the Chief Ministers from Seema.

Telangana Region:
Situated at the heart of Deccan Plateau, Telngana is filled with hillocks and forests. The northern part of Telangana is the southern edge of the ‘Dandakaranya’. Northern Telanagana is (was??) a dense forest area with a good decent tribal inhabitation. Most of the Godavari and it’s sublets either flow through the forest or through hillocks that too much below the ground level of the surrounding inhabitant area. The riverbed of Krishna covers a part of the southern Telangana.

Inhabitation: The forest area is majorly inhabited by tribal population that, even till date, depend on the forest products. Far from basic amenities like drinking water, hospitals, road connectivity, basic schooling etc, they live in dire state. Ironically they don’t even know that they have a right to have them. Off late, a bit of efforts are being put up to uplift the tribal living conditions.

Rural Telangana is majorly inhabited by backward caste sects like Munnuru Kapu, Yadava, Goud, Viswa Brahmana and also Schedule castes and Lambada tribes. The ruling communities, in general are Reddy, Velama and assorted BC leaders from Kapu, Yadava and Goud communities. Due to the assorted leadership, political cohesiveness is minimal. Rainfall based agriculture and traditional caste based jobs are the main source of livelihood. Females from lower middle class and lower classes work on daily wages during the crop harvest seasons and or as Beedi making labour. A little decent number of males are also employed at the Singareni coal mines. Thanks to the APSRTC's inability, many a youth are also making a livelihood by providing private transportation like Auto Rickshaws and light motor vehicles. Most of the youth are either high school drop outs or ‘Plus 2’ drop outs. Family compulsions to earn livelihood and early marriages are the forcing factors for education drop outs. Lack of awareness on various job opportunities is causing the middle class youth, after completing their Bachelors level education, are settling down either at private educational institutions or running their own little assorted business. 

Agriculture: Due to severe deforestation and global warming, monsoon rainfall has been taking a severe beating over the state for almost two decades. Dependence on lift irrigation increased considerably due to which the ground water levels have diminished over the region. Farmers started depending on less water consuming commercial crops like ‘Mirchi’ and Cotton. Overall agricultural investment has been increasing year after year and returns hardly yielding any profits. Due to heavy debt repayment pressures, thousands of farmers have committed suicides over the past decade.

 
Industry: Nizam government’s established Azam Jahi Mills at Warangal and Sirsilk Mills at Sirpur helped the Textile industry to flourish in Telangana. But lack of vision by the subsequent governments of independent India has brought down a closure of these two mills. Telangana, that could have become a potentially powerful textile corridor like Surat, sadly became a suicide paradise of textile labor. Further, the general public awareness on Beedi usage has significantly pulled down the ‘beedi rolling’ cottage industry. Rural Telangana is desperately looking for some industry to flourish over the region. 

Leftist Extremism:The early ‘Armed Farmer Revolution’ (Saayudha Raithanga Poratam) to claim the agricultural lands from the feudalist Watandaars appointed by the Nizam King, gave an opportunity to the so called new age Communists of that period to instigate the idea of Communism, in the name of ‘liberation of motherland from the hands of feudalists’, into the innocent minds of Telangana farmers gave birth to the ‘Naxalite’ extremism. Lack of educational and employment opportunities, failure of the state governments in distributing agricultural lands to Telangana farmers and the oppression of the ‘Telangana Movement’ in 1969 further consolidated the Naxalism in Telangana. The dejected student participants of the failed ‘Telangana Movement’ followed the path of extremism believing that ‘only a gun barrel can win the right to rule’. Availability of thick forests and support of the Tribal and Dalit sects backed by an inexusable passive approach to the issue by the state governments, further consolidated the Naxalism in Telangana. Naxalites almost established parallel governance in Northern Telangana districts obstructing even those little developmental initiatives of the state governments.