Small states' genie now out

Learn lessons from Jharkhand

The arbitrary announcement by the UPA government that it would bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, paving the way for the creation of Telangana, is political hara-kiri. As was expected, the three-decade-old demand for carving out a separate desert State, Maru Pradesh, by splitting Rajasthan has come up. Same is the case in Uttar Pradesh where the demand for trifurcation of the State into Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal got momentum … the renewed demand for Bodoland carved out of Assam is resounding in the State.

If and when it comes into being, Telangana would do well to look up to Jharkhand for a list of don’ts. In the nine years since it was carved out of Bihar to empower its indigenous people, Jharkhand has been rocked by scandals, political conspiracies, corruption and Maoist bloodshed. Unlike its twin siblings Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, mineral-rich Jharkhand has failed to reap the benefits of Statehood. It has had four chief ministers — Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Shibu Soren and Madhu Koda — heading six governments in nine years. It has constantly teetered on the brink of political uncertainty. Soren and Koda, among others, are accused of corruption. More than 40 per cent of Jharkhand’s population comprises SCs and STs. This segment is arguably as deprived today as a decade ago.

The Sentinel, Assam, Dec 17