Pushed to the threshold of a bifurcation, regional differences and aspirations of the people of Telangana and the Seemandhra regions of Andhra Pradesh found expression in differing ways, amidst tight security in Hyderabad on Saturday.

While the ‘Save Andhra Pradesh’ meeting echoed the fears of a division and demand for a united State by the Seemandhra people, a 24-hour bandh in the Telangana region conveyed the protest of the pro-Telangana forces.

All of this happened even as Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said in Delhi that his Ministry was preparing a note for the Cabinet on the bifurcation of the State and it would be ready soon. A large gathering turned up at the Lal Bahadur Stadium where the AP Non-Gazetted Officers organised the Save AP event. The meet was, in a way, unique as it was a non-political party initiative. Interspersed with cultural activity, speakers articulated the fears and negative impact of a possible bifurcation on Government jobs, education, pensioners, resource sharing etc.

The biggest losers will be the student community as their future and access to the three Es (education, employment and entertainment), which are concentrated in Hyderabad, the State capital, will diminish, said Krishna Adam, a student leader from the Seemandhra region.

Echoing the fears of the students, he said the IIT, NIT, BITS, top engineering and medical colleges are in Hyderabad; so are pharmaceutical companies, IT firms. Hence, losing Hyderabad would be an irreparable loss.

Ashok Babu, President of the APNGOs, said a separate Telangana with Hyderabad as joint capital was not just a problem of government employees, but for a majority of the people. Nearly 40,000 State employees have to relocate, 6 lakh pensioners will face trouble, student will be deprived of quality education and jobs, he argued.

There were minor incidents, such as stone pelting at the Osmania University and the Nizam College hostel adjacent to the Stadium. The bandh call was given by the Telangana Joint Action Committee protesting against the permission given for the meeting in Hyderabad and efforts to scuttle the bifurcation process. The AP Road Transport Corporation withdrew many city bus services and in districts. While hotels, petrol pumps, cinemas and other business establishments remained closed since morning, educational institutes had already declared a holiday in the city.

naga.gunturi@thehindu.co.in

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