Has the name change of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) given a shot in the arm to non-regional parties in the state? In a recent party meet, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu asked party members to ramp up activities in Telangana and bring in a revival of the party which once held power in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan has asked his party cadre to pick seven or 14 seats in Telangana and hinted at a yatra from Kondagattu. While YSRCP leader YS Sharmila, who has been on a Padayatra in Telangana since July last year, filed a complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.
TRS came to power in 2014 after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, riding on the Telangana sentiment. The pink party projected itself as the one that can rectify the alleged historical wrongs meted out to the people of Telangana region by ‘Andhraites’. There was a strong anti-Andhra wave that propelled the party led by K Chandrasekhar Rao become victorious in the newly carved out state. However, with KCR announcing his national plans and deleting ‘Telangana’ from the party’s name, political experts feel that the regional hold of the TRS is getting diluted, giving a level-playing field to the ‘Andhra’ parties.
When asked about the issue, Krishna Sagar Rao, chief spokesperson of the BJP, said: “Chief Minister KCR has made the biggest mistake in his political career by renaming his party in haste. It’s bound to have negative consequences. TRS has earned the repute as a strong regional party and has come to power twice successfully, despite the BJP and Congress playing key roles in the formation of the separate state. BRS will not cut ice regionally and KCR will lose the home ground and might end up finding no national space too. ‘Na Ghar Ka Na Ghat Ka’ can be a big possibility.”
He confirmed that parties such as the TDP and YSRCP are looking to re-enter Telangana to fill the void that the BRS has created. “I foresee one or more hyper regional parties arriving on the scene sooner than later,” Krishna Sagar Rao added.
However, the TRS says there is another reason behind the visible activity in the non-regional camp in Telangana. TRS leader Krishank Manne told News18: “I don’t think the local sentiment will go with a name change because even after Modi became the Prime Minister, his first love is always Gujarat. Being the CM of Telangana, KCR will definitely continue to represent the state’s interest also. For these parties, their interests have always been their private properties, and they are also being anchored by the BJP. TDP has been in alliance with the BJP on and off, Jana Sena entered politics with the BJP. In Munugodu by-poll, TDP did not float a candidate, but its flag was seen with BJP candidate Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy. This alliance wants to act against TRS.”
He further said before raising questions on Kaleshwaram project, Sharmila must look into the projects that her late father, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had started. “If Sharmila is questioning Kaleshwaram contractors, she must first ask who introduced mega contractors into the state? It was her father. Her father started the Pranahita Chevella project, which was redesigned into Kaleshwaram project. The same contractors that her father hired continued to work in the project. He started Jala Yagnam just to mint money. Even her husband is part of it. She is doing this because she is a BJP stooge,” Krishank added.
TDP national spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain said irrespective of name change, people of Telangana want development and they know that only KCR can provide that. “People remember how Naidu worked for the development of the state when he was the chief minister. Through a mere name change, the policies of the TRS do not change. Naidu has always said the two states (AP and Telangana) are like his two eyes. So, his interest towards Telangana had never wavered.”
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