Discontent on both sides
The unification of Andhra and Telangana resulted in an uneasy marriage, leading to calls for separation from both sides with the emergence of the Jai Telangana and Jai Andhra movements from the late 1960s.
Of the three states that made up Andhra Pradesh – Telangana, Andhra, and Rayalaseema – Telangana was the largest, covering over 40% of the total territory. Some people of Telangana sensed injustice in the division of revenue and resources, for example in the distribution of water for irrigation and the education budget. According to them, the “Gentleman’s Agreement” had been violated, and the Telangana region was being exploited in favour of Andhra.
At the same time, there was growing dissatisfaction in Andhra as Hyderabad raced ahead in development, with most of the state’s economy focused on the capital city while coastal areas were neglected.
One of the main issues of contention was the legislation known as “Mulki rules”. When Hyderabad state became part of India in 1948, the Mulki rules were established between the Indian government and the Nizam Nawab, the last of the ruling dynasty of Hyderabad. These rules stated that anyone who had lived in Hyderabad for 15 years or more was considered “local”, and therefore eligible for government positions.
This meant that many people from Andhra felt disenfranchised, as they were effectively disqualified from a large number of official roles in their own state capital. Yet as more people from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema moved to Hyderabad and established themselves there, after 15 years they became “mulki” – and, as a result, the people of Telangana felt that outsiders were taking over.
Both sides felt that they were being unjustly treated, and that a separation of the state was the only way forward; at the end of the 1960s, the resentment broke out in violent protests and the establishment of formal independence movements.