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HT This Day: October 2, 1953 — New era for Andhras begins
Andhra State-India’s first linguistic State-was inaugurated by Mr Nehru this morning
Andhra State-India’s first linguistic State-was inaugurated by Mr Nehru this morning. The inauguration marks the fulfillment of the desire of 20 million Telugu-speaking -people of Madras State to have a State of their own.
Mr Nehru declared that the new State had been established lawfully and by constitutional methods to fulfil the long-cherished dream of Andhras. It was now the duty of the people of Andhra Desh to build up their State in the best possible manner.
Andhra will have a five-man Cabinet headed by Mr Prakasam. Mr N. Sanjeeva Reddy, leader of the Andhra Congress Legislature Party, will be the Deputy Chief Minister.
The other Ministers are Mr K. Koti Reddi, Mr T. Viswanatham and Mr D. Sanjivayya.
The Ministry was sworn in at Raj Bhavan today by the Governor, Mr C. M. Trivedi.
Earlier, at an impressive ceremony at the Andhra Assembly Chamber, Mr Trivedi was sworn in as Governor by the Chief Justice, Mr Rajamannar.
The following communique was issued from Raj Bhavan: The Governor received Mr T. Prakasam and invited him to form a Ministry. Mr Prakasam accepted the invitation and the Governor has appointed him to be Chief Minister. On the advice of Mr Prakasam, the Governor has appointed the following gentlemen to be Ministers: Mr N. Sanjeeva Reddy. Mr Koti Reddi. Mr T. Viswanatham and Mr D. Sanjivayya.
It is proposed to appoint two more Ministers in the near future.
On the advice of the Chief Minister, the Governor has designated Mr Sanjeeva Reddy as Deputy Chief Minister.
The city wore carnival appearance and from early hours people were seen making for Cole’s Memorial playground to see Mr Nehru inaugurate the new State.
Over 100,000 people braved the heat to listen to Mr Nehru’s speech.
After the swearing in ceremony of Ministers Mr Nehru drove in an open car through the decorated streets where scores of arches bore affectionate greetings to him in Telugu. With him in the car were the Trivedis. They arrived at 8-45 at the playground. Mr Nehru was received by the Chief Minister of Andhra who introduced other Ministers.
Dr Radhakrishnan, Vice-President, Dr Katju, Mr V. V. Giri, Mr K. C. Reddy, Union Ministers, Mr Rajagopalachari, Mr Hanumenthayya and Mr B. Ramakrishna Rao. Chief Ministers of Madras, Mysore and Hyderabad, respectively, were seated on the platform from which Mr Nebru addressed the gathering.
Mr Prakasam, who was back in power today after an interval of six years, was loudly cheered, as he slowly mounted the rostrum.
The historic function began with an invocation song in Telugu by Miss T Suryakumari.
The Chief Justice next presented to the vast gathering Mr Trivedi, whom, he said, “the President of India had been pleased to appoint as Governor of Andhra and who was sworn in by me.”
Mr Trivedi next read out a message from the President. The Governor announced the personnel of the Cabinet and presented Mr Prakasam, Mr Sanjeeva Reddy and other Ministers to the gathering.
Mr Prakasam translated the President’s message in Telugu and then requested the Prime Minister to inaugurate the State.
NEHRU’S SPEECH
In his inaugural speech Mr Nehru said that the progress of Andhra and of India were inter-twined and the one could not develop without the other.
He asked Andhras not to think in terms of their State alone but of the country as a whole.
“You should dedicate yourselves to the service of the country and your new State,” he declared.
Over 100,000 of people cheered the Prime Minister repeatedly. Mr Nehru spoke in Hindustani which is widely understood in these parts
“We are gathered here on an auspicious occasion which marks the birth of the new State of Andhra,” Mr Nehru said. “To you, Andhras, who also belong to India. I have come here to offer my good wishes.
NO CONTROVERSY
Mr Nehru said that for a long time there had been a controversy over the method of formation of an Andhra State and no decision could be arrived at. But all the while the people of Andhra had been dreaming for a State of their own. Today that dream had become a reality. Therefore, today was an auspicious day and a day of historic significance for the whole of Andhradesh.
He recalled the prolonged debate on the Andhra State Bill in Parliament and said that the new State had been formed by law and by constitutional methods. Now that their dream had become a reality, it was the bounden duty of the people of Andhra not to get excited but to build up the new State in the best possible manner.
Nehru recounted the glorious heritage of Andhras and their historic role as empire builders. The country had seen the rise and fall of several empires. In Andhradesa, great empires were built up and ruined. Andhra State was today being formed under different conditions and in a new shape and a new way. ‘Do not forget that Andhra State is a part and parcel of the mother country,” he told Andhras.
GREAT NEIGHROURS
The Prime Minister said there were big territories beyond the borders of Andhra like Madras, Mysore and Orissa. Further north, there were the States of Bengal, Bombay, Bihar, Punjab and Kashmir. All those States were Part and parcel of Bharat and Andhra State was now joining the ranks of her brother and sister States in India. Every citizen, in whichever part of India he lived, was a citizen of the great Republic of India.
“I am a Kashmiri, I am at Delhi. Now I have come to Andhra. I have as much right here as any Andhra.” That spirit of oneness should prevail if the country was to prosper, he declared.
Andhras should not think that by the formation of the new State they were cutting away from the rest of India, Mr Nehru said. On the other hand, they should think they were coming closer and closer to the people in other States. They should get together and make the country big. Every act of theirs should go to make the country strong and united.
Outside the country, whether m America or in England, the people, of India were known only as the, citizens of the Indian Republic and ‘ not as Andhras or Tamils. Therefore, Mr Nehru said, it was the primary duty of everyone to safeguard the prestige and preserve the noble traditions of the country.
BROADER OUTLOOK
He asked the people to forget narrow communal and caste differences also. If these differences were perpetuated, they would lead to disruption of the country. High or low, rich or poor, they were all citizens of India and they were all equals and they should not encourage sectarianism.
Mr Nehru compared India to a big mansion of which each State was a room. There were many rooms in the mansion occupied by Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Parsis. All of them had to live together and be friendly with one another if the country was to prosper, all States should co-operate with one another and march forward.
The Prime Minister said he was happy that all controversy over the formation of the State had ended. He wanted Andhras to forget old quarrels. No doubt it was a sorry thing to break up a big and prosperous State like Madras. Sometime it had, however, to be I Andhra and Tamil Nad would like and work together as the common citizens of Bharat.
Mr Nehru wanted the Andhras to open a new chapter in their history and concentrate their attention on eradication of poverty. Their new State was like a newborn babe and the people had to carry it like a babe. He appealed to the people of Andhra, men and women, to join in a common endeavor to make their State prosperous by hard work.
Mr Nehru commended the bhoodan and shramdan movement of Acharya Vinoba Bhave. Though zamindarls and Jagirdaris had been abolished, much yet remained to be done in the matter of land reform.
By moving from place to place, Acharya Vinoba had collected lakhs of acres for distribution to the landless poor. If people in Andhra and elsewhere helped the movement to greater success, the economic structure of the country could be easily and peacefully I changed.
The Prime Minister referred to the observance of Gandhi Jayanti tomorrow and appealed to the, people to follow Gandhiji’s principles.
The vast gathering responded to Mr Nehru’s call to shout Jai Hind.
The Vice-President, Dr Radhakrishnan, in a brief speech in Telugu said that after 40 years of struggle the efforts of Telugus had borne fruit. Swaraj, he declared, should mean to them love of others and service to one’s own fellowmen and not love of power. He deprecated communal differences in Andhra and exhorted the Telugu people to make their State a model one.
Mr M. Satyanarayans of the Dakshina Bharat Hindusthani Prachar Sabha translated Mr Nebru’s speech into Telugu.
