Gulabi Boss.. Is it time to change strategies?
Former Chief Minister of Telangana and the leader of the BRS party, K. Chandrashekar Rao, seems to be making another attempt to bring his party closer to the people using Telangana sentiment. In a lengthy speech at the party’s headquarters, he discussed the development initiatives undertaken during his nine-and-a-half-year tenure while attacking the Congress party in his characteristic style. However, there appears to be a reluctance to review the mistakes made during his time in power.
There is a prevailing opinion that he is taking the results of the parliamentary elections lightly. While one can comprehend the idea of not contesting in the legislative council elections, not winning even a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections was a significant shock for the BRS (Bharat Rastra Samithi). The party has never faced such a dire outcome since its inception. It remains unclear whether he has focused on the reasons for this setback or not. The party believes that KCR is more confined to his Eravelli farmhouse than to the party itself. Even party leaders must travel a considerable distance to meet him.
While KCR’s son, the working president of BRS, Taraka Ramarao, and former minister Harish Rao are actively working, it’s crucial for KCR to also be accessible as the primary leader. Although he claims that BRS is the guardian of Telangana, and it has been renamed from TRS (Telangana Rastra Samithi), there seems to be nothing new or innovative for the party. It is true that KCR has initiated several development programs during his tenure as Chief Minister, particularly with remarkable efforts in the development of Hyderabad. Consequently, the BRS secured a complete majority in the Hyderabad surrounding areas. However, the rural regions of Telangana suffered significantly, leading to an unexpected defeat.
This could be partly due to the impact of the promises made by the Congress party. However, KCR’s attitude and flaws in candidate selection compounded the party’s losses. The BRS, which won 38 seats in the legislative assembly elections, suffered a disastrous defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, and it is a fact that they are slowly recovering from that defeat. The mistakes made by the Congress party and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s management style are benefiting BRS in this scenario. Despite the Congress party’s attempts to fulfill their promises, they are yet to see significant endorsement.
Against this backdrop, KCR is trying to re-energize the BRS. He called for strengthening the party structure from the grassroots to the state level, emphasizing parallel efforts for both the party’s success and the permanent victory of the Telangana people. While this call is positive, if KCR limits himself to a speech and retreats back to his farmhouse, it may prove to be of little use.
On a different note, KCR did mention some surprising aspects in his speech. It may not be easy to engage in politics by igniting Telangana sentiment. Revanth Reddy might also provoke in this regard; KCR must not forget this. While it is acceptable to claim that they have achieved statehood, whether the public will buy into it is questionable. The concern arises about how beneficial it is to reshape history in his favor. Take a look at KCR’s remarks, where he stated, ‘In light of the social and historical needs of Telangana… BRS, the child born from Telangana’s history, is the party of Telangana people that has fulfilled its historic responsibility of achieving the state.’
KCR emphasized that the party knows the tears of Telangana, aiming to empower all classes in Telangana society, work towards strengthening Telangana’s existence, help recover from past wounds, and ensure that the people of Telangana are not subjected to the same struggles again. He urged all party ranks to work for providing permanent victory to the Telangana people.
In every sentence, KCR attempted to instill Telangana sentiment. He stated in the same speech that the recent defeat in the parliamentary elections is a natural occurrence in politics and attributed the loss to the absence of Telangana sentiment in the new generation. The question remains whether there is truth in this or not; however, his intention seems clear. He invites criticism by suggesting that he aims to gain political leverage by reigniting the Telangana sentiment.
Throughout his tenure, he has at times discussed sentiment, emphasizing the need for viewing anyone from any state as a person of Telangana, aligning with his political strategy. This approach has apparently yielded results, as the majority of people from other states residing near Hyderabad have supported BRS.
While it may be true that the former TRS scarcely exists in Hyderabad now, KCR’s government managed to operate without controversy after coming to power, ensuring public forgiveness. Nevertheless, his comments concerning the military action led by Sardar Patel to integrate the erstwhile Hyderabad State into India may not be entirely justified. He chose to argue that the Congress party has historically betrayed Telangana.
KCR detailed that, ‘Although the nation gained independence, Telangana did not, and had Telangana still been under Nizam’s rule, the Indian military would have invaded.’ He pointed out that the military operation resulted in the loss of 20,000 to 30,000 lives, including many common people and communists, highlighting the folly of merging Telangana into Andhra unjustly post the armed struggle.
He has spoken about the emergence of various movements like ‘Idli Sambhar Go Back’ that arose due to the youth and people’s unrest during that time. Reports have indicated that where invoking the Congress party may yield many criticisms, there are still inconvenient truths amidst the historical narratives. While it may be easy to criticize past chief ministers for not promoting development in Telangana, one wonders whether there is any real need for thoughts of a united state now.
During this time, KCR addressed past injustices during N. Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure as Chief Minister. There seems to be a suspicion that Naidu is returning to Telangana politics in the form of the NDA. It is noteworthy that in 2018, the Congress party faced defeat while allying with Chandrababu’s TDP. Furthermore, the TDP emerged victorious in Andhra Pradesh by aligning with the BJP and Jana Sena in 2024. Despite this alliance, TDP chose not to contest in Telangana, reflecting a possible disinterest from the BJP in rekindling ties with Chandrababu for Telangana.
Still, anything can happen in politics. There is a consensus that Congress leader Revanth Reddy shares a close rapport with Chandrababu. Hence it remains uncertain what will occur by the next elections in Telangana. Criticizing Chandrababu as a part of the NDA does not seem to indicate KCR’s intention to forge close ties with the national party BJP. Congress leaders may voice their criticisms regarding the same.
On the issue of defections and by-elections, KCR has made his position clear. However, he too had supported large-scale defections during his tenure. This arguably reduced the significance of his remarks. In any case, while highlighting the failures of the Congress government, it appears that KCR is relying on aged strategies by invoking Telangana sentiment. Nonetheless, KCR’s statement suggests that times have changed, and so has the generational shift; the question remains whether he will revise his strategy accordingly.
By Kommineni Srinivas Rao, Senior Journalist and Political Commentator.
