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Gentlemen’s Agreement

A meeting of the representatives of Andhra and Telangana regions was called at Hyderabad House Guest House in Delhi on 20th February, 1956.

  • The two regions were represented by their top state leadership in the government’s four each from the both regions under the supervision of Govind Vallabh Pant.
  • The agreement was arrived at on 20th February, 1956.
  • It was signed by both Telangana and Andhra leaders, who ever attended the meeting:

Leaders from Andhra Region: 

  1. BezawadaGopalaReddy– Chief Minister of Andhra
  2. N.SanjeevaReddy– Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra
  3. SardarGouthuLatchanna– Minister in the Andhra Cabinet & Leader of the Krishikar Lok Party – a constituent of the United Congress Front which contested in the Andhra elections (1955) and became part of the Ministry
  4. Alluri Satyanarayana Raju–President Andhra Provincial Congress Committee

Leaders from Telangana Region: 

  1. BurgulaRamakrishnaRao– Chief Minister, Hyderabad
  2. K.V.RangaReddy– Revenue Minister, Hyderabad
  3. Dr.M.ChennaReddy– Planning Minister, Hyderabad; and
  4. J.V.NarsingaRao– President, Hyderabad Provincial Congress Committee
  • The outcome of 14 points of this meeting, signed by 8 presenties of the both regions, popularly known as Gentlemen’s Agreement 1956.

14 Points of Gentlemen’s agreement:

  1. The expenditure of the Central and General Administration of the State should be borne proportionately by the two regions and the balance of income from Telangana should be reserved for expenditure on the development of Telangana area. This arrangement will be reviewed after five years and can be continued for another five years if the Telangana members of the Assembly so desire.
  2. Prohibition of liquor in Telangana should be implemented in the manner decided upon by the Assembly members of Telangana.
  3. The existing educational facilities in Telangana should be secured to the students of Telangana and further improved. otherwise Admission to Colleges, including technical institutions in the Telangana area, should be restricted to the students of Telangana area, or they later should have admission to the extent of one third of the total admission in the entire state, whichever is advantageous to Telangana students should be seen.
  4. Retrenchment of jobs should be proportionate from both regions if it becomes inevitable due to merger of two regions.
  5. Future recruitments to jobs will be on the basis of population from both regions.
  6. The position of Urdu in the administrative and judicial matters existing at present in the Telangana area may continue for about five years, after that if needed the regional council by discussions may amend the position of Urdu. So far as recruitment to jobs is concerned, there should not be any rule like the person should know the Telugu language, but they should be required to pass a prescribed Telugu test in two years’ time after appointment.
  7. Some kind of domicile rules were made e.g., residence for 12 years should be there, to be considered as Local and those candidates only eligible to enter into jobs allocated for Telangana region.
  8. Sales of agricultural lands in Telangana area to be under the control of the Regional Council.
  9. A Regional Council will be established for the Telangana area with a view to secure its all-round development in accordance with its needs and requirements.
  10. The Regional Council will consist of 20 members and modalities of constituting it as follows: 9 members of the assembly, representing each district of Telangana, to be elected by the Assembly members of the Telangana districts separately,  6 members of the Assembly or the Parliament, elected by the Telangana representatives in the Assembly, 5 members from outside the Assembly to be elected by the Telangana members of the Assembly. All ministers from Telangana region will be members. The Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister, whoever is from Telangana, will be the Chairman of the Council. Other Cabinet Ministers may also be invited to the meetings of the Regional Council.
  11. The Regional Council will be a statutory body empowered to deal with and decide about matters mentioned above, and those relating to planning and development, irrigation and other projects, industrial development within the general planning and problems related to Telangana employees insofar as they relate to Telangana area. If there is difference of opinion between the views of the Regional Council and the Government of the state, an appeal may be made to the Government of India for final decision. Unless in between if any amendment is made to agreement by acceptance, this agreement is reviewed only after 10 years.
  12. The Cabinet will consist of members proportionately 60:40 per cent for Andhra and Telangana respectively. Out of the 40 per cent Telangana Ministers, one will be a Muslim from Telangana.
  13. If the Chief Minister is from Andhra, the Deputy Chief Minister will be from Telangana and Vice versa. Two out of the following portfolios will be assigned to Ministers from Telangana:
  1. Home
  2. Finance
  3. Revenue
  4. Planning Development
  5. CommerceandIndustry
  1. The H.P.C.C. The President desires that the P.C.C. should be separate for Telangana up to the end of 1962. For this A.P.P.C.C. The President has no objection.

The two following points, on which there was no unanimity in these discussions.

  1. The name of the new state – the Telangana representatives wanted that the name of Andhra Telangana (as proposed in the draft bill) be retained, while the Andhra representatives wanted that Andhra Pradesh, as indicated by the Joint Selection Committee, be retained.
  2. Regarding the High Court, the Telangana representatives wanted that there should be a bench at Guntur, with the principal seat at Hyderabad, while the Andhra representatives desired that there should be no bench at Guntur and the entire High Court be located only at Hyderabad.
  • Subsequently, “a note on the safeguards proposed for Telangana area” providing, inter-alia, for the constitution and functions of a regional committee of the Legislative Assembly of the Andhra Pradesh state was laid before the Parliament, in the Lok Sabha, on 10th August, 1956. This agreement was introduced by the Central government in the parliament with the name of “Note on safe guards’ ‘ (it is an answer to the question of Raj Bahadur gaur).
  • But a lot of changes were made to the gentlemen’s agreement to prepare a Note on safeguards (about 10 to 12 changes).
  • Thereafter, the Andhra Pradesh Bill was approved by the President of India on 31st August 1956. Ceremony was conducted on the occasion of the newly formed Andhra Pradesh state at Hyderabad on 1st November 1956 by Pt. Nehru.Q.Discuss the formation, structure, and functions of the Telangana Regional Committee as established under the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956
Introduction The Telangana Regional Committee was a pivotal outcome of the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956, formed to ensure equitable resource distribution and address regional disparities between Telangana and Andhra during the initial stages of the formation of Andhra Pradesh. The agreement was crucial in addressing Telangana’s concerns about merging with the financially weaker Andhra region.
Body ·         Formation of the Telangana Regional Committee: The Committee was formalized through the “Note on Safeguards” introduced in the Indian Parliament, which led to its statutory recognition in 1958 under the Andhra Pradesh State Act. Initially proposed as the “Telangana Region Council” in the Gentlemen’s Agreement, the name was modified to “Telangana Regional Committee” in the act. Despite its legal backing, the actual functional establishment of the committee saw delays, with its executive body members being appointed only in 1960 during the tenure of Chief Minister Damodaram Sanjeevaiah.

Structure and Election Procedure: The Committee comprised 20 members:

·         Nine members representing the nine districts of Telangana, elected by Telangana Assembly members (MLAs) district-wise.

·         Six members were to be Telangana MLAs or MPs elected by Telangana Assembly Members.

·         Five additional members, not part of the legislative Assembly, were elected by Telangana MLAs. Ministers from Telangana served as ex-officio members of the committee.

The leadership of the Committee included a Chairman and a Deputy Chairman, elected by Telangana MLAs using an “Open Ballot System.” The first Chairman elected was K. Achyutha Reddy of the Congress party, who notably defeated Raavi Narayana Reddy of the CPI party.

·         Functions and Impact: The primary function of the Telangana Regional Committee was to oversee and make decisions regarding development issues specific to Telangana. This included matters related to water supply, agricultural projects, industrial development, and specific employment concerns within Telangana. The Committee was empowered to act as a statutory body, ensuring that the developmental needs and regional disparities were adequately addressed. In cases of disagreements with the state government, the issues could be escalated to the Government of India for resolution.

·         The impact of the Telangana Regional Committee was significant in shaping the regional governance and administrative practices within Telangana. It provided a platform for addressing local concerns and ensured that Telangana had a voice in the larger context of state governance. However, the effectiveness of the committee was occasionally hampered by political dynamics and delays in operationalization, reflecting the complexities of regional governance in a newly formed state.
Conclusion The Telangana Regional Committee was an essential mechanism intended to safeguard the interests of the Telangana region during the initial years following the formation of Andhra Pradesh. While it faced challenges in implementation, the committee was fundamental in addressing regional disparities and fostering equitable development within the state.
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