Ever since, T-CM K Chandrasekhar Rao announced the decision to rollback the promotion of cheap liquor in every nook and corner of Telangana, there has been an all round celebration across the state. The credit goes to the women of Telangana. Even chief minister himself announced that he had received petitions from women against the so called cheap liquor which he certified as soothing agent. For the first time in recent past, so many women organizations hit the road opposing the decision of T-Sarkar. Woman leaders of all political parties took the lead in raising the voice against the cheap liquor and mobilizing the public opinion against the introduction of cheap liquor. Finally, beating a retreat, T-Cabinet had to withdraw the decision, temporarily though.
Rollback has become the hallmark of KCR Sarkar. At least on ten occasions, either bowing to the pressure from the public or following the strictures from the High Court, chief minister had to rollback his decisions that provoked public angst. No government in the history of independent India has rolled back as many decision as TRS government did. It really shows level unpopularity of the TRS government which came to power after protracted militant agitation to achieve separate Telangana state.
The rolling back of cheap liquor will go down in the history as the most unpopular decisions of 15-month old Chandrasekhar Rao regime.
1. In fact, while ordinary people were agitating against the cheap liquor, there ran another movement, by intellectuals and lovers of Hyderabad against the proposition to demolish heritage structure, the Osmania General Hospital building. The Chief minister, who has been on abandonment and demolition spree, wanted to construct massive match box like multi-story complex in the place of historical Osmania General Hospital, which is synonymous with Hyderabad heritage. The resentment was so fierce that the CM had to silently shelve the project.
2. A similar proposition chief minister Rao shelved was taking back of Osmania university lands to construct houses for poor. His strange thought of having a weaker section colony in one of South India’s oldest and glorious university also met up unprecedented opposition from the people. When the city is expanding and metro line is getting ready , any sane leader would think of having a weaker section colony outside city like a satellite city. But, TRS supremo wanted it in University campus. He thought weaker section would defend him. It did not happen. The question asked was , was it love for weaker sections or real estate mafia.The other unpopular rollbacks were the proposals to shift Erragadda Hospital to Vikarabad and replacement secretariat with high-rise buildings.
3. The first major rollback of TRS government was the withdrawal of appointment of parliamentary secretaries following High Court strictures. High Court took strong exception to the ordinance issued to appoint six MLAs — D Vinay Bhaskar, Jalagam Venkat Rao, V Srinivas Goud, G Kishore Kumar, V Satish Kumar and Kova Laxmi — as parliamentary secretaries. HC invalidation of the appointment was a slap on the face of TRS government which resorted to waste public money indiscriminately.
4. Another important unpopular decision chief minister Rao revoked was the cut off year 1956 to determine the local status of the residents of Telangana. Chief minister Rao used this 1956 cut off year to discriminate Andhra and Telangana students for the purpose of fee reimbursement. Only those wards of families who came to Telangana prior to 1956 were only eligible for fee-reimbursement by government. A division of bench of Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar dealt a serious blow to TS government when it struck down FAST GO 236 stating,”you have the power to scrap a scheme but you have no power to put such barriers which are unconstitutional.” Court observed allowing such GO would result in secessionist and anti-integration acts.
5. In September 2014, High Court delivered another humiliating blow on the TS government. In June, 2014, T-government issued a GO asking all vehicle owners(of AP registration) in Telangana to register their vehicles as TS vehicles. The court passed stricture on TS government and stated that the High Court would not let the TS government use power in a whimsical manner. The division bench of Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P V Sanajay Kumar said “We can understand if you insist on such a rule for registering new vehicles now, or from June 2 (the day Telangana state came into being),” said Sengupta and added that ,” You cannot change the registration number of old vehicles. Once the vehicles are registered under the Act, the matter ends there.” The Court also cautioned TS government that ,” People means not only those from Telangana, but also whosoever comes here and lives here. They are all people of the state. You will not be permitted to do things that are not permitted in the law.”
There are many more decisions which Telangana government revoked following public outcry, and some are expected be taken back soon.
