Hyderabad: As Telangana celebrates its 10th State Formation Day, it is crucial to delve into the remarkable journey of the youngest Indian state, from its days as Hyderabad Deccan to the present-day Telangana state.
At the time of India’s independence from British rule in 1947, Hyderabad was a princely state and continued to exist as such for 13 months.
On September 17, 1948, the Indian government launched “Operation Polo,” an operation to merge the erstwhile Hyderabad Deccan into the Indian Union.
In January 1950, MK Vellodi became the first chief minister of Hyderabad State, followed by Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, the first elected chief minister in 1952. However, as time progressed, the demand for a separate state for the people of the Telangana region in Hyderabad started to gain momentum.
While the people of Telangana were advocating for a separate state, leaders from Andhra state were lobbying in New Delhi, resulting in the formation of Andhra Pradesh after the merger of Andhra State and the Telangana region of Hyderabad Deccan. To protect the interests of Telangana, a Gentlemen’s Agreement was signed, but it was later violated by Andhra leaders.
Due to discrimination in government jobs, education, and public spending, the people of Telangana intensified their demand for a separate state. The 1969 statehood agitation witnessed significant unrest and tragically resulted in the loss of 369 lives.
The Telangana movement gained momentum once again in the mid-1990s. On May 17, 2001, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party to fight for the separate state.
In 2009, KCR announced indefinite hunger strike forcing the UPA government to announce the formation of the Telangana statehood process. However, after facing with protests from leaders of the Seemandhra region, the UPA government made a U-turn.
Following it, all political forces in the state formed the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) with Prof Kodandaram as its chairman. Finally, the UPA government initiated the statehood process in July 2013. In February 2014, the bill for a separate Telangana state was passed by the parliament.
As Telangana celebrates its 10th State Formation Day, it is crucial to delve into the remarkable journey of the youngest Indian state, from its days as Hyderabad Deccan to the present-day Telangana state.
At the time of India’s independence from British rule in 1947, Hyderabad was a princely state and continued to exist as such for 13 months.
On September 17, 1948, the Indian government launched “Operation Polo,” an operation to merge the erstwhile Hyderabad Deccan into the Indian Union.
In January 1950, MK Vellodi became the first chief minister of Hyderabad State, followed by Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, the first elected chief minister in 1952. However, as time progressed, the demand for a separate state for the people of the Telangana region in Hyderabad started to gain momentum.
While the people of Telangana were advocating for a separate state, leaders from Andhra state were lobbying in New Delhi, resulting in the formation of Andhra Pradesh after the merger of Andhra State and the Telangana region of Hyderabad Deccan. To protect the interests of Telangana, a Gentlemen’s Agreement was signed, but it was later violated by Andhra leaders.
Due to discrimination in government jobs, education, and public spending, the people of Telangana intensified their demand for a separate state. The 1969 statehood agitation witnessed significant unrest and tragically resulted in the loss of 369 lives.
The Telangana movement gained momentum once again in the mid-1990s. On May 17, 2001, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party to fight for the separate state.
In 2009, KCR announced indefinite hunger strike forcing the UPA government to announce the formation of the Telangana statehood process. However, after facing with protests from leaders of the Seemandhra region, the UPA government made a U-turn.
Following it, all political forces in the state formed the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) with Prof Kodandaram as its chairman. Finally, the UPA government initiated the statehood process in July 2013. In February 2014, the bill for a separate Telangana state was passed by the parliament.
