Hyderabad, Dec 10 - The decision of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to initiate the process of the formation of a separate Telangana state fulfils the five-decade old aspirations of the people of the backward region.

The formation of a new state will also mark the beginning of the process of dividing Andhra Pradesh, India's first state formed on a linguistic basis.

For the people of Telangana, the decision is historic as they feel liberated from the merger which was imposed on them in 1956 despite the first State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) expressing its apprehensions.

Neglected and exploited by the rulers from Andhra for over five decades, the region erupted in joy when the government Wednesday night announced that the bill for a separate Telangana state would be moved in the state assembly.

Telangana, which comprises 10 districts including Hyderabad, was part of erstwhile princely Hyderabad state and was merged with then Andhra state in 1956 to form Andhra Pradesh for Telugu-speaking people.

With the division, Andhra will now be left with 13 districts. Nine prosperous districts of coastal Andhra, and four backward districts of Rayalaseema region. Telangana has a population of about 35 million people while Andhra and Rayalaseema have 40 million people.

After the accession of Hyderabad state with the Indian Union in 1948, Telangana continued as a separate Hyderabad state till its merger with Andhra state on Nov 1, 1956 despite opposition by the people of Telangana.

Andhra state with Kurnool as the capital was earlier carved out from then Madras province in 1953. This followed the sacrifice of Potti Sreeramulu, who died in 1952 after a 50-day hunger strike in Madras demanding a separate state for Telugu people.

Despite having a common language, Andhra and Telangana had cultural differences and socio-economic differences. The first SRC commission report submitted in 1955 had referred to these dissimilarities.

The educationally backward people of Telangana have apprehensions that they may be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people of the coastal areas, the report said.

The real fears of the people of Telangana is that they will be unequally placed in relation to the major partner, which will derive all the advantages immediately, while Telangana itself, may be converted into a colony by coastal Andhra, the commission had observed.

Ignoring these observations, then government of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru went ahead with the formation of Andhra Pradesh. However, Telangana was guaranteed certain safeguards through the Gentlemens Agreement to address its concerns and ensure proper development of the region.

This agreement and even six-point formula of 1973 which guaranteed preference to local candidates in jobs besides accelerated development was never implemented sincerely, said M. Kodandaram, president of the Telangana Intellectuals Forum.

The people of Telangana felt cheated as all the assurances given to them were violated. They felt that the people of Andhra were not only grabbing the jobs but also diverting Telangana resources, especially water resources to Andhra.

The demand for a separate state for Telangana was raised in the 1970s. The movement took a violent turn in 1979. As many as 369 people, mostly students, were killed in police firing.

The people felt betrayed by their own leaders who gave up the demand for a separate state in return for some positions of power.

Some groups continued making subtle demands for the state but could not make any impact.

In 2001 when K. Chandrasekhara Rao revived the movement by floating Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), most of the groups seeking a separate state joined hands with him.

Just when everybody thought the Telangana movement died with the humiliating defeat of TRS in this years elections, Rao came out with a Gandhian way of protest: fast-unto-death. With students and all other sections of people protesting on the streets, the government had to bow before popular demand. (IANS)