Published Nov 01, 2022 | 3:36 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2022 | 3:36 PM
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy along with Cabinet colleagues RK Roja, Taneti Vanitha and Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma at the AP Formation Day event at the CM's Camp Office on 1 November. (Supplied)
Tuesday marked the third year after Andhra Pradesh resumed observing the State Formation Day on 1 November.
After the state’s bifurcation, the previous TDP government, between 2014 to 2018, did not celebrate the Andhra Pradesh formation day on November 1,which marks the formation of the linguistic state in 1956 after separation from the then Madras state.
Instead, the N Chandrababu Naidu government organised “Nava Nirmana Deekshas” on 2 June, marking the day on which the Telugu states were bifurcated.
Nava Nirmana Deeksha (Building the State Anew) was observed by the then state government to highlight the injustice done during the bifurcation, to take a pledge to rebuild the state, and to attain for the state government a level-playing field with other states.
The then chief minister used to hold meetings on 2 June and administer pledges to the people on the resolve to “rebuild” the state.
After YSRCP came to power in May 2019, it was decided to revert to conducting state formation day celebrations on 1 November.
However, the gaiety that used to be witnessed during State Formation Day celebrations before the bifurcation has been missing in recent years — and this year was no different.
Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy takes police salute at State Formation Day event on 1 November. (Supplied)
In the first year after YSRCP came to power in 2019, the government had organised a grand event to mark the state formation day at Indira Gandhi municipal stadium.
Cultural programmes were organised and a “state festival” was celebrated for three days across Andhra Pradesh. Later, two years of Covid-19 cast a shadow on the celebrations.
On Tuesday it was again low-key affair. The AP Formation Day event was organised at the camp office of Chief Minister as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Her received a police salute, unfurled the national flag, and paid floral tributes to “Amarajeevi” Potti Sriramulu, whose fast-unto-death provided the final push for the creation of a Telugu-speaking state in 1956.
He also took to Twitter to congratulate the Andhra people on State Formation day.
మన సంస్కృతిని- మన కీర్తిని, మన పూర్వీకుల పోరాటాలను- విజయాలను, ఈ నేల పై జన్మించిన ఎందరో మహానుభావుల త్యాగాలను ఘనంగా స్మరించుకునే పండుగ రోజు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ అవతరణ దినోత్సవం. అమరజీవి పొట్టి శ్రీరాములు గారి త్యాగాన్ని గుర్తు చేసుకుంటూ.. రాష్ట్ర సర్వతోముఖాభివృద్ధికి పునరంకితమవుదాం.
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) November 1, 2022
“Rationally and legally speaking it was Telangana that was separated from Andhra Pradesh due to state bifurcation, not our state. A new state called Telangana was formed. So, it would have been appropriate that 1 November continued as the State Formation Day, as Andhra Pradesh was formed on a linguistic basis in 1956,” pointed out PV Vijaya Babu, newly appointed chairman of the AP Official Language Commission.
On the lack of enthusiasm in recent years, he said it was because Andhra Pradesh is yet to recover from the wounds caused due to the state’s bifurcation.
“Due to the severe injustice done to the state, the wounds continue to bleed. It will take some time for the past glory around the State Formation Day to be revived,” Vijaya Babu, who is also honorary president of the AP Intellectuals and Citizens Forum, told South First.
On November 1, 1956, Andhra state and the Hyderabad state’s Telangana region were merged to create Andhra Pradesh as a single Telugu-speaking state.
Before that, Andhra state was separated from Madras State in 1953 after freedom fighter Potti Sriramulu passed away while being on a hunger strike in Madras, calling for a separate state for the Telugu people.
