Prof Kancha Ilaiah, a bitter critic of TRS and its politics, questioned the premise that the poor and the lower-caste people were committing suicide for the cause of a separate state of Telangana.
Pointing out that no socio-psychological study has been conducted to understand the real cause and circumstances of these deaths, reported to be in the range of 750 till date, Prof Ilaiah said, “Nowhere in the world do hundreds of human beings commit suicide as a form of protest for the purpose of political liberation”.
Describing what is happening now in Telangana as unparalleled, Ilaiah, who is currently director for the study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad opined that nationalism or regionalism cannot be a cause for so many people to die on their own. Which forces are causing such deaths remains a mystery, he said in an article in Deccan Chronicle published on Wednesday.
Stating that the blind belief that they all are self-driven does not show any historical perspective, Prof Ilaiah, known for his writings in Dalit studies, hints at political gain by leaders as being the driving force behind the spate of suicides. He points out, ” Telangana Rashtra Samiti’s K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is leading the current phase of the Telangana movement, did not have any significant electoral success before the self-immolations and suicide began”.
Concluding that in this ‘unnatural movement, the leaders at the helm are making huge amounts of money and the youth at the other end of the society are dying, Prof Ilaiah demanded New Delhi to explain or investigate how and why this is happening.
“Let the nation know which ghost is driving these innocent youth to suicide,” he concluded.
Here is the link to the article
