Satyagraha of Telangana

The effort led to dire consequences with the then government indiscriminately arresting leaders

Hyderabad: This article is in continuation to the last article focusing on the Jai Telangana Movement (1969-70), which is one of the important topics for the government recruitment examinations.

Recognizing the growing resentment in the student community at his call to resume classes, Mallikarjun gave another statement that they had taken such a decision by assessing all pros and cons and to save one academic year and also that the struggle would continue until the goal was reached. He also appealed to the students to spare only every Saturday in a week for Telangana and the rest of the week to devote to their studies.

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Another leader of the Telangana Praja Samithi Captain Ansari criticised the Congress party leaders saying that they had made best use of the struggle to settle their old inner party scores. Several student leaders too criticised the decision commenting that just to divert the attention of the Telangana society from the demand of resignations of Telangana MLAs, the leaders were driving the students to attend the schools and colleges.

A group of students from the Old City started a relay hunger strike near Charkaman as a protest measure against the decision of the Students Action Committee leader Mallikarjun’s decision to put a full stop to the boycott of classes. They also demanded the resignations from all the public representatives right from councillor level to the Parliament member.

President of the rival Telangana Praja Samithi M Sridhar Reddy commented that it was up to the students to take a decision whether to call off the strike or continue it, but not Dr. Chenna Reddy or Mallikarjun.

He gave another statement on September 30 to the effect that the students should build up a fierce movement for the resignations of Telangana MLAs. But later, unable to maintain the status quo, he also suggested that students might boycott classes up to October 10 and from then onwards they could restrict the boycott to Saturdays only.

Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy called for mass Satyagraha on October 10 and said that over 3 lakh people would participate in it. He laid down a condition that a boy or girl below 18 years of age should not participate in Satyagraha. The Satyagraha on October 10 went on peacefully in Hyderabad and almost all Telangana districts. This was the Satyagraha the Telangana people observed after two months. Upon the orders from the above, the Police maintained strict restraint and there were no arrests on that day.

Consequently, the government unleashed repression and indiscriminately arrested leaders, suspended employees and created a reign of terror by killing around 370 people. The government was shaken by the intensity of the movement and Indira Gandhi took cognisance and personally visited Hyderabad. She also convened a high level meeting with political leaders and announced the Eight Point Formula to resolve the Telangana question. In spite of the assurances given by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through the Eight-Point Formula, the Telangana Praja Samithi continued the movement, while holding negotiations with the State and Central governments. As the formula did not contain any specific provision regarding the safeguards on employment, the movement continued with renewed vigour.

To be continued…