The Bhuvanagiri Sabha (1997) was a large-scale meeting held on March 8th and 9th, 1997, marking a significant moment in the Telangana movement. Organized by Telangana proponents, the event witnessed an electrifying performance by Gadar, who sang “Naa Thalli Telangana Thiraga Badda Veena,” stirring deep emotions among the participants.
Background of the Bhuvanagiri Sabha
The origins of the Sabha trace back to Nagaram Anjaiah, who, after disagreements with Manda Krishna Madiga, the founder of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), left the organization and established the Telangana Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi. Seeking to strengthen Telangana MRPS, Anjaiah collaborated with leaders like Gade Innaiah and Gadar, which led to the decision to organize the Bhuvanagiri Sabha.
Preparations for the Event
The idea for the Sabha was first discussed during the Telangana Conference held on January 19, 1997, at Ashok Talkies, Hyderabad. Later, detailed planning sessions were held at Ravindra Bharati’s Mini Hall in late January 1997.
Organizational Leadership and Committees
During this period, Nagapuri Anjaiah, an advocate and president of the Bhuvanagiri Bar Association, played a crucial role. The Invitation Committee for the Sabha was formed under the leadership of the Telangana Hakkula Samithi (Telangana Rights Committee), comprising 43 members, including 17 advocates, doctors, journalists, and other prominent individuals. The convenors of the Sabha were:
- Nagaram Anjaiah
- Pulimamidi Bala Krishna Reddy
- Jaini Mallaiah Gupta
Various groups, including advocates, writers, poets, artists, professors, and journalists, came together under the banner of “Sahithi Mitra Mandali” to organize the event.
Event Details
The Sabha took place at Indian Mission High School premises in Bhuvanagiri and was titled “Dagapadda Telangana” (Betrayed Telangana). The venue was renamed “Nizam Vythireka Porata Amaraveerula Pranganam”, honoring the martyrs of the anti-Nizam struggle.
Opening and Attendance
The meeting was inaugurated by Praja Kavi Kaloji Narayana Rao and witnessed a massive turnout of around 40,000 people, including intellectuals and prominent personalities from across Telangana. The Bhuvanagiri Sabha stood as a powerful assertion of Telangana’s demand for justice and statehood
Public meetings were the life breath for the Telangana agitation. Considering this statement, briefly describe the Bhuvanagiri Sabha held in 1997.
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Keywords in the syllabus: Bhuvanagiri Sabha
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Approach:
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The examiner will expect your answer to include the following things: Salient and important points related to Bhuvanagiri Sabha, and its impact. |
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Introduction:
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To strengthen the Telangana agitation, the leaders of different organisations held public meetings at Nizamabad, Warangal, etc. Under the aegis of Telangana Hakkula Samithi (Telangana Rights Association), a public meeting took place at Bhuvanagiri on 8th and 9th March 1997, which made great efforts in progressing Telangana’s cause. |
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Body:
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Salient points of the Bhuvanagiri Sabha: · Historical meeting that discussed Telangana’s rights: The meeting discussed about the justifiable quota that should be given to the Telangana region and about the rights of Telangana people. It recognised the demand for Telangana as a right and decided to continue the agitation with Telangana problems as the base. · Problems of Telangana discussed in detail: The meeting took place on two days at the Indian Mission School. Nine special sessions were held to discuss the problems of Telangana in detail. · Mains points decided in the meeting: o Electricity cuts in Telangana shall be removed. o Regional and reasonable quota for Telangana people in all factories of Telangana. o To provide drinking water facility in Telangana. o Implementation of 1/70 law. To return the forest lands taken from the Adivasis. o Police camps should be removed from the Telangana region. o To prevent ridicule of Telangana culture and language by Andhra people. · Meeting was attended by many Telangana leaders: Kaloji Narayana Rao, Jayashankar, Gaddar, M Balakrishna Reddy, Nagaram Anjaiah, Prof Kodandaram, N Sidda Reddy, Pasham Yadagiri, and others attended the meeting and made it a huge success. There was a special speaker on each injustice done to Telangana. For instance, Prof Keshav Rao Jadav spoke on the resources, industries, and pollution of Telangana. · Huge processions were held after the meeting: On the last day after the end of the discussions, a procession was taken out passing through the streets of Bhuvanagiri with the slogans ‘Jai Telangana’. The slogans rocked the place. Students and intellectuals of Osmania and Kakatiya universities from different districts took part. |
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Conclusion:
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Seeing the positive response to meeting held on 8th, government withdrew the permission given to the meeting on 9th, at the last minute. People were not deterred; thousands still attended the meeting. The Bhuvanagiri Sabha was a milestone in the history of separate Telangana agitation. The public meetings held at other places too were a grand success. They helped in spreading Telangana sentiment by democratic means. |