BJP's Interests in a Separate Telangana

Why the Congress would not let a separate Telangana State materialize? And why would BJP strive to make a separate State a reality?

In a separate Telangana state or even in the hypothetical Rayala Telangana, polarization of people among religious lines is easy. That is the reason BJP wants a separate State. BJP and MIM can easily gain ground in these regions by whipping up passions.

There is never any problem when a minority is insignificant. The numerical majority never feels threatened. That is how people of different religions live together peacefully in villages of AP. Members of the majority religion even celebrate, support, and fecilitate festivals of minorities. But when the minority has a certain critical mass, a conflict of interests ensues. The conflict could be both economic and social.

That is why Hyderabad or parts of Nizamabad and Adilabad do not have the same tolerance levels as villages of coastal Andhra. Demagogues can easily whip up passions against the other community. Each community views the other as a threat. They become polarized on religious lines as a result. They start voting en-bloc to political parties that offer them safety and support. This is what is happening in the Old City area of Hyderabad. Both the BJP and MIM are strong there. In a separate state, both can gain in certain pockets. BJP now has only a sporadic presence in Andhra Pradesh. In a separate state, BJP sees a great opportunity to increase their presence and numbers.

BJP could gain enough strength to form a government in Karnataka for the same reason. The presence and numbers of the minority is more significant in Karnataka compared to the other Southern states. Many regions of the state has a history of Muslim rule.

Parts of Kerala around the Malabar region have a significant minority. The area is the only stronghold of the Muslim League. However, it is not possible for the BJP to gain ground as easily in Kerala. The average Keralaite is more educated than the average Indian and leans towards the Left. The Left parties consider religion as opium of the masses and strongly disapprove of the concept of religion. As a result, the Keralaite does not have a strong religious identity. It is difficult for the BJP to polarize the majority community on religious lines.

The Congress would not give in to the demands of a separate Telangana for the same reason that BJP would!