10 Years of Telangana: Undefeated KCR gearing up for next innings, as his detractors rendered nonentities

HYDERABAD: With an unforeseen streak of victories, Bharat Rashtra Samithi supremo K Chandrashekar Rao is once again bracing up for an nth time to reinforce his political fortunes.

KCR is one leader in India who didn’t even wink to eschew his political positions in his attempt to demonstrate his valour fortified by his unflinching trust in people. He gave up the position of Deputy Speaker and legislator on the same day on April 27, 2001 and blew the conch of revolt against N Chandrababu Naidu for his avowed cause of a separate statehood for Telangana.

Four years down the line, KCR pressed the eject button from the coveted post of Union Cabinet Minister in Dr Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). In the same breath, he resigned for the post of MP twice to seek a reelection only to showcase his rock solid commitment to the cause he had espoused, come what may.

And, after tasting defeat in 1983 as TDP candidate in his maiden electoral foray from Siddipet Assembly constituency, he was fielded again from the same seat in 1985 by N T Rama Rao. Ever since, KCR never lost an election in his nearly four-decade-long electoral politics.

And, KCR is raring to go to renew this unique distinction in the upcoming elections.

In his protracted 13-long-year agitation enlisting support from multiple political parties, KCR has never hesitated to change the tack to join hands with political parties that have diametrically opposite ideologies.

KCR has no foes in his political peregrination. As he had announced himself, he wouldn’t hang back even to kiss a quilt worm (bontha purugu), he had surprised everyone by joining hands with protagonists of undivided Andhra Pradesh — the TDP, the CPI and the CPM — by making them toe the separate Telangana line.

He stunned everyone by sharing dais with the top BJP leaders in Chandigarh on the same evening the 2009 elections were held in Telangana - snubbing his electoral partners. He spared no effort even at the cost of his personal prestige with a firm commitment towards the cause of a separate Telangana.

He garnered the support of an array of political parties, 30 in all, across India with 440 MPs in Lok Sabha alone to buttress the cause of the agitation. He negotiated and explained the need for a separate Telangana and got three former Prime Ministers – V P Singh, IK Gujral and H D Deve Gowda – to write letters to the Union Government supporting Telangana cause.

While all these achievements are engraved in the history of formation of Telangana, the saga that culminated in the actual realisation of the dream is familiar to all.

Ever since he formed the Government in June 2014, KCR began implementing the plan he had prepared for the progress of the State in a systematic manner despite the fact that the new State’s journey was more on a bumpy road.

Seat of power wasn’t surely a bed of roses for KCR, as it took a long time for him to convince the stakeholders to believe that Telangana was indeed successful.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that KCR’s concerted and dedicated efforts indeed bore fruit. The State proved its ability on a spectrum of sectors and won laurels from all quarters in many indices. The renewed confidence of the people of Telangana in his leadership only provided a new dimension to the balanced path of development and welfare. Telangana becoming the granary of India is perhaps the biggest achievement for a new State that has its flag flying high.

In the process, he earned many friends and silenced many foes. But interestingly those who stoked rebellion against him, chiefly because he did not - rather could not - renew the positions he could adorn them with, had to exit the party and find fortunes elsewhere. But the opportunistic politics didn’t pay them off. On the other hand, they had to play second fiddle to leaders who are many notches below them in stature and also seniority.

Over 20 leaders had to eat a proverbial humble pie. Except for former Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, who had incurred the wrath of KCR and thus was smoked out of the party, all others thought it’s greener pastures outside the BRS/TRS.

Rajender won as an MLA and is facing an uphill task in settling down in the BJP, for he originally belonged to extreme left ideology.

A P Jitender Reddy was honoured with the position of TRS Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha that endowed him with a top notch rank within the TRS in pecking order. Jupally Krishna Rao was an MLA who is now going adrift as he had lost the 2018 elections and KCR roped in the winning candidate on to the TRS side.

Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who was an MP from Chevella, quit the TRS to join the BJP and has since rendered himself as a nonentity. Former APCC president Dharmapuri Srinivas was ushered into the TRS and was honoured with Rajya Sabha membership. However, he never was active in the TRS and maintained a blow-hot, blow-cold relationship with the party.

Bura Narsaiah Goud, an MP from Bhongir Lok Sabha seat, sulked and quit the BRS as he had expected to be fielded as the party nominee in Munugode by-election. However, as the party tried to convince him not to press for the same, he packed his bags and jumped on to the BJP side and now he’s groping in the dark there.

Babu Mohan, who was an MLA from Andole, went out grudgingly as he was replaced in 2018 with a new candidate.

Ditto is the case with former RTC chairman Somarapu Satyanarayana, former minister A Chandrasekhar, three-time MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy, former MLA Bodige Shobha, former Karimnagar Zilla Parishad Chairperson Tula Uma.

Former TSPSC member Vittal had moved away from KCR just because his six-year membership was not renewed.

Quite a few others like former MLC S Ramulu Naik and former MLA T Narsa Reddy too estranged TRS just because their high expectations were dashed off. But, sadly, none of them are now in the reckoning and some of them are looking to the Congress to come up in a new avatar.

KCR too beyond a point didn’t persuade them as most of them indeed turned out to be a baggage. KCR discreetly sent a message across the party that nobody is indispensable and none of them is Teflon-quoted to remain untouched when it comes to political expediency.

After all, as Don Vito Corleone was made to say in Mario Puzzo’s ‘The Godfather’, KCR too served revenge cold to all his detractors, meticulously so.