ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the case of Telangana which goes beyond the framework of linguistic nationality as the basis of states’ formation and provides an opportunity to explore alternative frameworks of regional autonomy and state reorganisation. There is a strong trend in the discourses on Telangana which voice the theme of backwardness. They have varied from emphasis on the political marginalisation of the Telangana leadership to a critique of state policy that led to the undermining of the rights of the Telangana people in the Telangana region itself. Though there is no serious attempt to critique the linguistic nationality principle in the Indian context, the discourses generated as part of the Telangana state movement promise to present an alternative perspective on the question of regional autonomy and identity. The Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh, which was formed in 1956 on linguistic basis, comprises three regions — Telangana, coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
