KCR’s high-pitched campaign takes on the rivals

“I am thin, but strong in bone, spirit and energy and will take on the entire opposition to win the December 7 election for the people of Telangana.” This is the thrust of the speeches of K Chandrasekhar Rao, Chief Minister and president of Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS), as he blitzkriegs across the 31 districts in a high-voltage campaign.

The TRS president, who is often criticised by the Opposition for resting in his farm house or the lavish, ₹300-crore Pragathi Bhavan (office-cum-residence), has been addressing a minimum of a dozen election rallies daily. His son KT Rama Rao is playing the second fiddle doing his bit in Hyderabad and neighbourhood.

With humour, sarcasm and biting criticism of his opponents, especially the Praja Front, — the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party, the CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi ) — KCR focusses on his government’s achievements in the power sector and welfare schemes in his ‘Praja Aashirwada Sabhas’ or People’s blessings meetings.

“Modiji, in the 19 States where your BJP is in power, are you able to provide 24-hour free electricity to farmers, Rythu bandhu or Rythu bima (insurance), which we are providing in Telangana. We the people of Telangana are not sheep, but tigers who fought and got a separate State”, he said at meetings.

Lauds TRS manifesto

The TRS in its manifesto has promised to increase pensions, provide unemployment allowance of ₹3,016 per month, waive loans of ₹1 lakh, bring in 12 per cent reservation for economically backward among Muslims, give ₹10, 000 under Rythu Bandhu, insurance to farmers and a range of sops to the underprivileged.

KCR is aided by KTR, daughter Kavitha (MP) and nephew Harish Rao, as he takes on the big guns in Indian politics including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi, and TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

At every election meeting, KCR cited surveys to claim that the TRS will win 100 seats in the 119-member Assembly. He is harping on welfare schemes that his government has taken up and is focussing on the demands of the people of the district.

Who built Hyderabad?

“Naidu claims he built Hyderabad. If so, what did Quli Qutub Shah do? In fact, the TDP chief was the biggest hurdle for the growth of Telangana, halting projects for years. Now, as AP Chief Minister, he is posing problems in the implementation of irrigation projects,” KCR reiterated.

Singling out Naidu for special criticism has not gone down well with various sections in constituencies in Hyderabad, Khammam and a few districts, where the people of Andhra origin are present in good numbers, and where the TDP had presence as political party before bifurcation. KTR, son and IT Minister, who struck a good rapport with industrialists from Andhra as well as the large IT, corporate and urban youth in Hyderabad, has been doing his bit to soften his intense campaigns.

The war of words between the KCR and Rahul Gandhi has been a highlight so far. At a meeting, KCR said “Don’t know whether Rahul has intelligence or not, but he speaks like a joker, referring to Rahul’s repeated allegations that the TRS government is simply collecting commission by changing the designs of major projects launched by Congress.”

On family rule

Answering posers on his government being reduced to family rule, , KCR countered, “Do we need lessons on this from Rahul, who inherits a role from a dynasty or Naidu, who has family rule.”

With a week to go for elections, it remains to be seen whether TRS’ strategy that relies heavily on KCR, with support from Asaddudin Owaisi of the MIM and KTR in Hyderabad and urban pockets, will trump the spirited and highly charged up campaign of the Praja Front.

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