Regional parties rule the roost... we can carve out Telangana: K Kesava Rao

Interview with Former President, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee

Septuagenarian K Kesava Rao was associated with the Congress for almost five decades, where he held key posts such as the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee's president and member of the Congress Working Committee. But he quit the Congress recently and joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which is spearheading the movement for securing separate statehood for the Telangana region. He tells Prashanth Chintala that he is leaving the Congress with a heavy heart

You had been associated with the Congress for five decades. Why are you quitting now?
It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to disassociate myself from the Congress on the issue of Telangana (separate statehood for the region). I have no grievance or complaint against the party. In fact, I hold that its secular credentials and philosophy of inclusiveness are the best bet for the nation's security and growth. But, in the present context, it is no substitute for my Telangana. Now that the Congress is not going to carve out Telangana, at least in the near future, I cannot continue to deceive myself further, more so the people at large. I need to take this call for them.

What will be the impact of your resignation and of the two Congress members of Parliament (MPs) on the party as well as on the Telangana movement?

Let us be truthful. The resignations are not a game-changer. They should bring some kind of moral pressure - not political pressure. Can a single MP from the Congress today come and tell me that he is going to win in the ensuing elections?

Have the MPs resigned because they are not confident of retaining their seats as Congress candidates in the next general elections?
That is all the reason, that means people are asking for Telangana. In fact, the answer lies in your question. The very fact that the MPs are saying that we can't win indicates people are not going to vote for them. That means people want a separate Telangana state. If you can't respect the verdict of people, you have no business to be in public life.

You have been advocating a separate Telangana state even before the current movement for a separate statehood picked up. Why do you think that there should be a separate state for the region?
Actually, Telangana and Andhra have been separate states. Our demand for self-rule is as old as the state itself. There are cultural differences. Also, no effort had been made for emotional integration of people of the two regions ever since Andhra Pradesh was formed. Only now, after the movement for a separate statehood picked up, our music, our songs and our literature are getting due recognition. Otherwise, if you see old films, you will find that only villains, rowdies, auto-rickshaw drivers and domestic servants speak in the Telangana accent, not heroes or heroines.

You used to say the Congress alone is capable of carving out a separate state for Telangana. Now, do you believe that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will be able to secure a separate state for the region?
Basically, in a coalition government, it is not necessary that only the Congress or any other national party like the Bharatiya Janata Party can do it. The present surveys indicate that regional parties rule the roost. Today, national parties are coming to power with the support of regional parties.

You have held key positions in the Congress. How did you you fail to convince the party high-command for a separate statehood for Telangana?

I would not immediately say it is the failure of the national leadership or the failure of the approach. The Congress is not able to respond to regional leadership. The demands in the country today have become political, not statesman-like. Political demands are all about someone trying to get some post or the other. There is a difference between a political response and a statesman-like response. I will immediately attend to the political need of a particular leader. A statesman-like response envisions what exactly the nation wants.

You mean to say the Congress leadership lacks vision?
I won't say vision, but the very approach is lacking. It is true that it is looking towards the regions, but they does not understand the regional moods.

What could be your role in the TRS?
At 72, I am not looking for any roles. That is why I am not going to contest in the elections. My role will be to see that the TRS will become a people's movement. It has to emerge as a political face of the people's movement. It should go down to people, mobilise them, enthuse them and empower them. I always consider that a small state is for a small man. I look towards the empowerment of backward classes through the TRS for Telangana.

Are you joining TRS unconditionally?
Absolutely unconditional because a movement is never conditional. The TRS is only an instrument, it is a car we are using (to secure the Telangana state).

You have your own vision about how the movement should go forward. Is it coinciding with that of TRS President K Chandrasekhara Rao?
Any sane person has to agree that he is working for people. Perhaps he (Rao) might differ over strategies to be adopted. I must play a role as a catalyst to see that both of us will get an easy way to coordinate.

You said neither you nor your family members will contest the upcoming elections. But there could be nominated posts for you.
If I have not differed with Soniaji on Telangana, I would have got anything today given the kind of love, affection and respect she gave me. So, if it is only posts, I could have stayed back in the Congress. I can as well nominate people, why get nominated.

Some of the pro-Telangana leaders belonging to other parties like the Telugu Desam have also resigned and are preparing to contest in the next elections. How do you ensure that they would not contest against each other?
My effort will be to see that there is no split in the Telangana vote. Candidates also should think whether such contests will help the cause of Telangana and take decisions accordingly.