Tag: Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Telangana Turns 10: The Chequered Journey of India’s Youngest State

The Congress government headed by chief minister Revanth Reddy, which assumed the reins in Telangana six months ago by defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate the Formation Day on a grand scale on June 2. 

Hyderabad: On June 2, Telangana will complete 10 years as a separate state, which was formed in 2014 following a protracted struggle for bifurcation from the then undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Whatever links it has shared with the truncated Andhra Pradesh so far, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, will no longer continue, including Hyderabad being the joint capital of the two states thus far. Hyderabad will now solely belong to Telangana.

The Congress government, which assumed the reins in Telangana six months ago by defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) regime in elections, has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate Formation Day on a grand scale. Not to be outdone, the BRS has also planned an event which it calls the continuation of a 21-day festival to mark the commencement of decennial celebrations on the same day last year. But, minus the official mark.

Chief minister A. Revanth Reddy has invited Congress leader Sonia Gandhi as the chief guest for the occasion amidst protests by the Opposition, which seeks to know under what capacity her presence was warranted for a state function. Sonia Gandhi had announced the commitment of Congress to create Telangana state as the party president on December 9, 2009, to break the indefinite hunger strike by BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samiti) president K.Chandrasekhar Rao after he was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad while continuing his fast.

The midnight announcement by Sonia Gandhi on her birthday (December 9) was conveyed by the then Union home minister P. Chidambaram to a close aide of Rao, Professor K. Jayashanker, who was by the former’s bedside in hospital as a large and unruly crowd gathered outside wanting Rao to continue the fast until the final word came from the Centre. The Congress was then heading the United Progressive Alliance-II government at the Centre.

Officials making arrangements for grand celebrations on June 2 to celebrate the Telangana Formation Day at Tankbund in Hyderabad. Photo: Telangana Publicity Cell.

Following the announcement, a separate agitation broke out in the rest of the then-combined Andhra Pradesh comprising Rayalaseema and coastal districts opposing the separation of the state.

The Union government then appointed a committee headed by a retired judge Srikrishna to study the feasibility of bifurcation of the state. The panel submitted its report after more than a year, upon which then chief minister K. Rosaiah took the views of all parties which was followed up by enactment of the State Reorganisation Act in parliament months before Andhra Pradesh went for simultaneous polls to assembly and parliament as a combined state.

10 years of KCR rule

With June 2 as the appointed day for the bifurcation of the state, Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the first chief minister of Telangana heading a TRS government with 63 MLAs. Chandrababu Naidu was his counterpart for the residual state of Andhra Pradesh.

As a party which came to power on the slogan of “neellu, nidhulu, niyamakalu (water, funds, jobs)” for the oppressed masses of Telangana under the exploitative rule by Andhra leaders, the TRS was seen as doing little to achieve the slogan and take the fruits of separation to people in its nine-and-a-half year rule.

The water issues with Andhra Pradesh, especially on river Krishna, remained unresolved. In fact, the neighbouring state overdrew its share in the river on many occasions. The en bloc allocation of 811 thousand million cubic feet of water to Andhra Pradesh is yet to be divided between the two states.
By way of funds, Rao’s often-quoted remarks that Telangana was a revenue surplus state when it was formed took a beating. The state fell into huge debt with its outstanding borrowings touching Rs 7 lakh crore as of now. The government has a debt service of Rs 40,000 crore a month which has affected developmental programmes and fulfilment of pre-election promises of Congress. There is also a huge pendency in the payment of bills to contractors, mid-day meal workers and several other services in BRS government.

The government borrowed huge loans at interest rates of up to 11% to fund the Kaleswaram lift-irrigation project and populist schemes to empower Dalits and other communities. The irrigation project proved to be a non-starter despite an expenditure of over Rs 1 lakh crore. The project developed a vertical crack in a pier from top to bottom, making it highly risky to operate.

In terms of creating jobs, the TRS government was way behind in securing employment for two lakh youth as promised by Rao during the agitation preceding statehood for Telangana. He claimed that a job would be generated in each family if Telangana was formed. The students of Osmania and Kakatiya Universities which turned out to be the epicentres of the agitation were left betrayed.

K. Chandrashekar Rao during a protest for Telangana statehood. Photo: X(Twitter)/@raokavitha.

Finally, when the Telangana State Public Service Commission launched a recruitment drive towards the end of the second term of the BRS government, the leakage of question papers for exams to Group I services of state governments further frustrated the youth. The commission cancelled exams for several services as more and more leaks of question papers came to light.

In a background of poor performance by the BRS government, the Congress government was voted to power last December with a clear majority of 25 MLAs. But, the Congress is also yet to deliver on its promises though some of them like free bus rides to women, free power up to 200 units for the domestic sector and cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 were conceded.

A prominent youth leader Vanigalla Vittal, popularly known as Telangana Vittal for his lead role in Telangana agitation, said the slogan of ‘neellu, nidhulu, niyamakalu’ had turned out to be a political tagline for parties, mainly BRS. The goal of the agitation was the participation of SCs, STs, BCs and minorities in political processes and equal distribution of natural resources to all sections which was missing. Telangana was the second richest state after Jharkhand in natural resources with a basket of 15 minerals, he said.

Rao who claimed to be a litterateur studying 80,000 books left the state high and dry with his lopsided policies while the Congress was clueless on how to achieve the social objective, Vittal said.

Notwithstanding all the demerits pointed out by the critics of the BRS government, Rao was credited with spurring economic growth in rural areas and giving priority to health and education in the state. About one thousand residential schools were set up for SCs, STs, BCs and minorities. A string of hospitals in multi-storied buildings were constructed in Hyderabad and other centres. The number of government and private medical colleges went up from five prior to 2014 to 55 now.

Rao initiated a unique programme of investment support to agriculture by offering Rs 4,000 initially and then scaling it up to Rs 5,000 per acre for each crop season. The programme was replicated by Modi government at the Centre, of course with much less assistance, at the national level. However, Rao also earned brickbats that the support was wrongfully extended to rich farmers with large holdings.
A free life insurance scheme to farmers with a cover of Rs 5 lakh on death, Mission Bhagiratha of supplying safe and potable drinking water to every household and Mission Kakatiya rejuvenating tanks in villages by removing silt were other programmes which gave a push to the rural economy. Rao hiked several fold social security pensions to old aged, single women, HIV patients, weavers and beedi rollers which created an atmosphere of people-friendly government in villages.

However, Rao earned a reputation as a chief minister who never went to the state secretariat but carried out administration from the cosy environs of his palatial official bungalow. His government was accused of being run by only four persons comprising himself, his son K.T.Rama Rao, his daughter Kavitha who is now in jail in the Delhi liquor scam and a nephew T. Harish Rao. There was no place for a fifth person either in government or party.

Former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao with officials. Photo: @TelanganaDGP

Chandrasekhar Rao was inaccessible to his own cabinet ministers, leave alone officials and the media. As a result, there was a huge pendency in decision-making at the highest level.

His excessive dependence on All India Service officers hailing from northern states led to inertia among officials belonging to Telangana in the administration. For instance, he appointed Somesh Kumar from Bihar as the chief secretary though he belonged to the Andhra Pradesh cadre of IAS. When the court shifted Somesh Kumar to his cadre state, the official resigned from IAS and joined as the chief advisor to Chandrasekhar Rao in the rank of a Cabinet minister.

A noted editor, writer and columnist K. Ramachandra Murthy said Chandrasekhar Rao had diluted the spirit of separate Telangana by not respecting the sacrifices of martyrs of the agitation. The struggle of people against the domination of leaders from Andhra Pradesh was watered down after the formation of Telangana. Instead, those who opposed separate state were taken into his Cabinet, Ramachandra Murthy said.

Rao engineered defections from other parties in both his two terms in a bid to wipe out the Opposition in the state. Twelve out of 15 MLAs of Telugu Desam Party joined the TRS in the first term and 13 out of 19 MLAs of Congress deserted the second time. Rao saw to it that the Leader of the Opposition status to the Congress was withdrawn by merging two-thirds of the legislature party with the TRS. This was despite the BRS having a strength of 88 in a 119-member Assembly.

With an idea to expand TRS pan-India to make his presence felt in national politics, Rao had changed its name to BRS and even set up branches in Maharashtra and Odisha. His vision of a bigger role was thwarted by party’s defeat in Assembly elections.

Another Telangana rights activist Gade Innaiah said the family rule of Chandrasekhar Rao defied all constitutional norms. The state was exposed to destruction in all spheres. Dharani, a single-stop platform of government for land transactions, deprived the poor of their lands. Rich became richer by Dharani. The three acres of land promised to the poor by Rao was false.

Protracted struggle for statehood

The struggle for Telangana could be divided into two parts. First, it took place in 1969, barely 13 years after Andhra Pradesh was carved out of the princely state of Hyderabad. About 360 people were killed in police firing in that spell which began with a hunger strike by a student Rabindranath at Gandhi Chowk in Khammam town in 1968. Thereafter, former chief minister M. Channa Reddy led an intense struggle when he was politically unemployed after the Supreme Court barred him from contesting elections for six years as he was found guilty of electoral malpractices when he won an Assembly election in 1967 from Tandur against an independent candidate Vandematram Ramachandra Rao. Rao was later declared winner.

Channa Reddy then floated Telangana Praja Samiti which won nine out of 14 seats in the 1971 parliament elections. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi prevailed over Channa Reddy to merge TPS with Congress. In return, he was made Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.

A Telangana martyrs memorial for 360 slain victims was constructed at Gun Park outside the Assembly in Hyderabad. The column with four sides was mounted on black granite that had nine holes in each face to symbolise bullet penetration.

Nine holes were drilled on each side to signify a total of 36 holes and a zero after the figure as a mark of respect to an equal number of martyrs. But, the tragedy is that the memorial has not been dedicated to people so far by way of its inauguration, said the sculptor and Padmashri award winner Ekka Yadagiri. There was no plaque on the structure whose construction started in 1972 and ended two years later.

A bouquet of flower petals topped the memorial which stands as a temple of sacrifices by martyrs. To this day, all parties and organisations offer tributes at the memorial before undertaking any task as a fulfilment of the aspirations of martyrs.

Professor M. Kodandaram was in the forefront of the agitation in its second spell as the chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee after the death of former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in September 2009. This phase of agitation had more loss of life as about 650 youth committed suicide due to frustration over the delay in the formation of the state.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) with TRS, Congress, TDP, BJP and some other smaller parties as members held several protests yo mount pressure on the Centre to concede separate Telangana.

A programme called ‘million march’ turned violent on Tank Bund as the protestors pulled down a number of statues of icons of Andhra Pradesh that lined up the road. The statues were dumped in Hussainsagar lake across the road.

A strike call given by T-JAC completely disrupted work in government offices, courts, schools and colleges, road transport corporation and coal mines for 42 days. Buses went off roads during the period. A youth Srikanth Chary who set himself on fire on the road during a protest at L.B. Nagar in Hyderabad set the tone for a suicide spree as the agitation took an extreme turn.

Kodandaram said the BRS government belied expectations of people that self-rule in their own state would ensure their administration by democratic principles and constitutional norms. Instead, it was characterised, among others, by draconian practices like phone tapping to suppress dissent against the government. He was himself a victim of this. A family rule was imposed on people.

A rights activist Pasham Yadagiri said people were so disenchanted with the state that they felt the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was better. The flawed policies of Rao were responsible.

The state formation day celebrations will see chief minister Revanth Reddy and his predecessor Chandrasekhar Rao visiting the matyrs memorial on June 2 to offer tributes and participate in their respective celebrations.

Chief minister Revanth Reddy with music director M.M. Keeravani on the sidelines of composing a state anthem for Telangana. Photo: X (Twitter)/@MadhuriDaksha

The government has organised a public meeting to release the State song, a redesigned emblem and the statue of Telangana talli (mother Telangana) at Parade Ground. Chandrasekhar Rao will address a meeting in party office.

The emblem will replace an earlier one designed by the BRS government with pictures of the famous arch of the Kakatiya dynasty and Charminar. The government does not want symbols of the autocratic rule of monarchs and a monument representing the Asafjahi and Qutbshahi rule to reflect on the emblem. Instead, it wanted to prioritise the struggles and sacrifices of the people of Telangana.

A song written by noted poet Andesri hailing Telangana as a repository of rich cultural heritage will be released on the occasion. Its music is composed by Oscar award-winning composer M.M. Keeravani. His selection for composing music was protested by rival parties as he had Andhra Pradesh origins.

Modi Claims Telangana CM KCR Wanted to Join NDA in 2020; ‘White Lies’, Says KTR

Speaking at a rally in the poll bound state, the prime minister said that after the municipal elections in Hyderabad, KCR met him in Delhi and asked for the NDA’s support.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao proposed to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2020 but he rejected the offer because of his “deeds”.

Speaking at a rally in poll-bound state’s Nizamabad district, the prime minister said that KCR made the offer after the muncipal elections to Hyderabad in December 2020. Because of the split verdict in the polls, the Bharata Rashtra Samithi (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi) needed external support to win the mayoral polls.

“Before the municipal election, he used to welcome me at the airport with garlands. But he stopped suddenly. Why did he suddenly become upset?” Modi asked.

“After the elections, KCR came to meet me in Delhi. He praised me a lot. He asked me to extend support to him. He wanted to join the NDA,” he claimed. The prime minister said that he told the Telangana chief minister, “because of your deeds, Modi cannot join hands with you”.

The BRS and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) joined hands for Hyderabad’s mayoral polls. While BJP won 48 seats, the BRS won 56 and MIM 43.

Modi said that while the BJP-led Union government gave money to the BRS government in Telangana for development, the latter “looted the money that was sent for the welfare of the state”.

Reacting to the claim, KCR’s son and Telangana IT minister K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) said that the BRS does not have the misfortune of having to join the NDA. “KCR is a fighter. He will never join hands with a cheater,” Rama Rao said.

“NDA is a sinking ship. Allies like the Telugu Desam Party, Shiromani Akali Dali and the Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena have left the alliance,” he said, adding that the real “partners” in the alliance were  investigating agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income Tax department.

He added that the Union government has contributed nothing to the development of Telangana since it was formed in 2014, and therefore the people would ensure that the BJP wins nothing in the upcoming state polls.

“We will fight the BJP electorally and defeat them,” Rama Rao said.

Telangana Congress leader Revanth Reddy said on X (formerly Twitter) that the prime minister’s revealation showed that Modi and KCR were working together in secret.

Telangana: I-PAC Deal With BRS on ‘Hold’ Due to National Ambitions

All of I-PAC’s Telangana unit has been shifted to the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, where it is working with the ruling YSR Congress Party.

Hyderabad: The impasse between the ruling Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana and the political consulting group Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) continues as both sides still have not reworked a fresh deal after the latter stopped all of its work last year.

I-PAC had begun working for the BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi) early in 2022, but the arrangement fell through after chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) announced his national ambitions by rechristening the TRS as BRS in October 2022 (the Election Commission accepted the change in December).

As it stands now, almost all of I-PAC’s Telangana unit has been shifted to the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, where the consulting firm is working with the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), led by chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. I-PAC sources confirmed that the firm is not actively working in Telangana as of now.

When contacted, BRS functionaries also confirmed this, and said that as of now there is no engagement whatsoever with I-PAC.

One of the reasons for the impasse is KCR’s national ambitions, said an I-PAC functionary.

“KCR and Prashant Kishor need to sit and discuss what to do, only then will this get sorted. The original plan was to help BRS with the state elections in 2023. KCR announced his national ambitions, which we were not really told about. However, working on a national front means it requires more resources. Moreover, Kishor also launched his own Padayatra and is busy with it,” added an I-PAC functionary.

Contacted for an official response, I-PAC said it did not want to comment on the matter.

I-PAC did some campaign work for the BRS last year during the Munugode by-poll in November 2022, which the ruling party in Telangana won. The by-election was necessitated after ex-Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He lost his seat to the BRS candidate with a margin of over 10,000 votes.

However, since then, I-PAC ceased all of its work for the BRS, due to a lack of clarity on the arrangement. “99% of the people have been shifted from Hyderabad to Andhra. Communication is zero. It is not as if the deal is closed, but PK has to come and meet KCR like he did earlier,” the I-PAC functionary said.

It may be noted that working with I-PAC worked handsomely for the YSRCP in AP, as it won a staggering 151 out of 175 assembly seats and 23 out of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the 2019 general and state polls. The Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP was completely routed.

KCR managed to pull off a similar victory in the Telangana assembly polls, mainly riding high on the successes of welfare programmes like the Rythu Bandhu (input assistance for farmers) scheme, under which all farm landholders are paid Rs 5,000, once each in the Kharif and Rabi seasons. This was announced just before the 2018 state polls.

In the 2018 state elections, the BRS won 88 out of 119 assembly seats in Telangana, while the BJP could only win one. The Congress, which cobbled up an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and other outfits, managed to win in just 19 constituencies, while the TDP bagged two seats. The opposition was weakened further when 12 Congress MLAs and both the TDP legislators defected to the BRS.

However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BRS (then TRS) won just nine of 17 seats in the state, while the Congress and BJP won three and four respectively. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM retained the Hyderabad seat.

“As far as Telangana is concerned, BRS is going to win and rule for another term in the present situation. I am not sure if I-PAC will have any value addition, as usually it works with regional parties that have a prospect of winning. Prashant Kishor is in the big business of electoral management. There is no question of an ego clash,” said professor. E. Venkatesu, a faculty member from the University of Hyderabad’s political science department.

TRS Rechristened as Bharat Rashtra Samithi After Nod from Election Commission

Addressing party leaders, KCR gave the slogan of “Ab ki baar kisan sarkar (farmers’ government this time)” and said new economic, environment, water, electricity and women empowerment policies are needed in the country.

Hyderabad: With the Election Commission approving the name change of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), party president and Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday formally hoisted the pink colour flag of BRS and exuded confidence that the “pink flag would fly high on the Red Fort one day”.

Addressing party leaders after unveiling the BRS flag at the party headquarters here, he gave the slogan of “Ab ki baar kisan sarkar (farmers’ government this time)” and said new economic, environment, water, electricity and women empowerment policies are needed in the country.

The slogan is similar to that of the BJP’s catchy ‘Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar‘ that was used during the 2014 general elections.

The event saw former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, actor Prakash Raj and various farmers’ leaders from different states in attendance.

Rao, who said the BRS has been launched to bring about a transformation in various sectors in the country, said its office in Delhi would be opened on December 14.

Indicating his ambition of assuming power in future at the Centre, Rao said: “Hundred per cent, I have self-confidence. It is certain that the pink flag would fly high on Delhi’s Red Fort.”

Farmers constitute 40% of the country’s population and they are in distress, he said while exhorting the slogan of ‘Ab ki bar kisan sarkar‘.

Thanking Kumaraswamy who was present on the occasion, Rao wished to see the JD(S) leader become the chief Minister of the neighbouring state again and assured his party’s support to him.

Claiming that the system of tribunals to address inter-state water issues that go on for years with the Centre watching the ‘tamasha‘ should stop, he said the BRS would come out with a ‘new water policy’ in the country.

Citing the sharp decline in the value of the rupee, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and others, he said the country needs to draft a new economic policy.

The chief minister said a new power policy would be drafted for the country as there is a power shortage in the country in spite of the availability of vast resources.

Similarly, new agriculture and environment policies also need to be firmed up, Rao said. He favoured a new ‘weaker section upliftment policy’ in the country to improve the lot of the downtrodden and also a ‘new women empowerment policy’.

All these policy documents would be put before the people of the country in the coming few weeks, Rao said.

Earlier, he signed on the papers concerned about the name change of TRS as BRS at 1:20 pm, an auspicious time.

The BRS flag unveiled by Rao contained the country’s map in it and the colour of the party flag continued to be pink. The TRS flag was also adorned in pink.

Before unveiling the BRS flag, Rao attended a puja.

Rao received a communication from the Election Commission on Thursday approving the change of name to BRS.

Seeking to expand its electoral footprint beyond Telangana, the TRS in October changed its name as BRS.

Rao, also known popularly as KCR, had formed the TRS in 2001 to fight for the formation of a separate state Telangana out of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

TRS MLC K Kavitha, the chief minister’s daughter, said the launch of BRS has opened the doors for inclusive and development driven politics in the country.

“The beginning of a new dawn in the political discourse of India. The launch of BRS Party by our leader, Hon’ble CM KCR Garu has opened the doors for inclusive, united and development-driven politics of vision for every single Indian,” she said in a statement.

“We have delivered on hopes and aspirations in Telangana, we are committed to give every Indian the courage to dream and the hope of making their dreams come true,” she said.

Delhi Excise Scam: CBI Seeks to Question TRS Leader K. Kavitha on December 11

Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana CM KCR, said she went through the contents of the FIR copy as well as the complaint available on the website in connection with the case and her name did not figure anywhere in any manner whatsoever.

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a fresh notice to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC K. Kavitha for questioning on December 11 at her Hyderabad residence in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, officials said Tuesday.

The agency is understood to have agreed to the request of Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter to postpone her questioning from Tuesday to any date between December 11-15.

In response to the first notice issued on December 2, Kavitha had said she went through the contents of the FIR copy as well as the complaint available on the website in connection with the case and her name did not figure anywhere in any manner whatsoever.

The fresh notice issued by the agency states, “…CBI team will visit your residence at 1100 hrs on December 11, 2022 for your examination and recording of your statement in connection with investigation of aforesaid (Delhi Excise scam) case. Kindly confirm your availability on the said date and time at your residential address at Hyderabad…”

Kavitha, in a statement on Monday, had said she informed the authorities that they can meet her at her Hyderabad residence.

“I am a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate with the investigation. I will meet you on any of the above said dates to cooperate with the investigation. It is made clear that this is without prejudice to my legal rights available under law,” she had said.

“We state that we will face any kind of inquiry. If the agencies come and ask us questions we will certainly answer. But tarnishing leaders’ images by giving selective leaks to the media, people will refute it,” Kavitha had said in Hyderabad.

The CBI has already filed a chargesheet against seven individuals in connection with the excise scam.

The agency is conducting a further probe to decipher the alleged role of the “Southern lobby” in influencing the formulation and execution of the Delhi excise policy, according to officials.

“Further investigation is continuing to investigate the role of FIR named accused and other persons on various allegations including conspiracies with other licensees, money trails, cartelisation and larger conspiracies in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy,” the CBI had said after filing of chargesheet.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged, “…Vijay Nair, on behalf of leaders of AAP has at least received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a group, called south group (controlled by Sarath Reddy, Ms K Kavitha, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy) by various persons including Amit Arora.”

Telangana: Three Detained for Alleged Attempts to Lure Four TRS MLAs to Join BJP

According to the ruling TRS, the MLAs were offered Rs 100 crore each as part of BJP’s “Operation Lotus”. The BJP, for its part, rubbished it as a “scripted flop show” of the TRS.

New Delhi: The Telangana police on Wednesday, October 26, detained three persons who allegedly descended in Hyderabad in a bid to offer Rs 100 crore each to four MLAs of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), asking them to switch loyalties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The accused were caught “red-handed”, and Rs 15 crore in cash was seized from a farmhouse located on the outskirts of Hyderabad city, police said. The charge of Rs 100 crore offer is being bandied about by the TRS while police are silent on the money involved. The alleged poaching episode comes at a time when the TRS and the BJP are in a pitched battle ahead of the November 3 by-poll for the Munugode assembly segment.

The TRS MLAs who are said to be lured into joining BJP are Guvvala Balaraju (Atchampet assembly segment), B. Harshavardhan Reddy (Kollapur), Rega Kantarao (Pinapaka) and Pilot Rohith Reddy (Tandur). According to Cyberabad commissioner of police, Stephen Ravendra, the police acted upon a tip-off from one of the MLAs, Pilot Rohith Reddy, to whom the farmhouse in question belongs.

The accused have been, according to the police, identified as Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, a priest from Faridabad in Haryana; Simhayaji, pontiff of Srimanatha Raja Peetham in Tirupati; and Nandakumar, owner of a restaurant, Deccan Pride in Hyderabad.

“We received information from TRS MLAs that they were being lured with the promise of money and contracts. Immediately, we carried out raids. We received information that they were camping at a farmhouse in Aziznagar. We learnt that one Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, a priest from a temple in Faridabad, carried out consultations with the MLAs. Along with Ramachandra Bharati, a priest from Tirupathi Simhayaji and Hyderabad resident Nandakumar were in the farmhouse. Nandakumar brought the others to Hyderabad to broker the deal with TRS MLAs. Our investigation is on. We will take legal action against the accused,” said Stephen Ravindra, according to Telugu news outlet Eenadu.

Soon after the news emerged on Thursday evening, Telugu news channels splashed pictures of the four MLAs sitting together, and the three accused persons sitting separately as a group. According to the Telangana BJP state unit, the pictures were released by the police themselves to the media as part of ruling TRS’ carefully “orchestrated drama” to defame the BJP.

The TRS was quick to retort, stating that the BJP’s “Operation Lotus” was “exposed” by the Telangana police. The term “Operation Lotus” is often used by opposition parties to refer to the BJP’s alleged poaching of MLAs from other parties to topple governments led by other parties.

Media outlets that are close to the ruling TRS declared the alleged poaching attempt was the handiwork of the national leadership of the BJP, with Union home minister Amit Shah in the know of things. Calling it a “covert operation busted by the Hyderabad Police, the TRS party tweeted:

According to TRS leaders, the alleged poaching operation intended to make the MLAs in question join the BJP at a public meeting of BJP national chief J.P. Nadda on October 31 in Munugode, days before the by-poll.

‘Scripted flop show’

BJP leader and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy rubbished the incident as a “scripted flop show” by the TRS to defame the BJP ahead of the Munugode by-poll. He said the entire episode was carried out under the direction of TRS supremo and chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

On the allegations that one of the accused, Nandakumar, was a “close aide” of his, the Union minister said he has been in politics for long and various people would have clicked pictures with him. The mere act of clicking pictures with him did not mean the said person was close to him, Reddy said.

The TRS released pictures of each of the accused photographed with top BJP leaders, including Nitin Gadkari, Yogi Adityanath, Rajnath Singh, and Kishan Reddy as well.

Taking to Twitter, Kishan Reddy said:

The Union minister has also sought an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, into the whole episode. “If the TRS government has purity of mind, I request that the case be handed over to the CBI. I am asking whether the state government is ready for this? I am giving two options. Either you get it inquired by a Supreme Court sitting judge or hand it over to the CBI as this case is an interstate issue.”

Telangana BJP state unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar too dismissed the entire controversy as an “orchestrated campaign” of KCR’s party to defame the BJP. He said it was deplorable that the TRS had plumbed new depths to “use swamijis” to further its political ambitions.

On Twitter, Kumar said:

In the 119-member Telangana legislative assembly, TRS currently has a strength of 103 MLAs, BJP two, Congress five, and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen seven. Although BJP had three legislators in the assembly, its tally came down to two with the suspension of T. Raja Singh after his controversial remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.

Lately, the BJP has positioned itself as the alternative to the TRS. The national leadership of the saffron party has been frequenting the state to corner the KCR government ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

JD(S) to Back KCR’s Endeavour To Become Voice of People, Farmers Nationally

“It is not the question of a third front, KCR has his own ideas on solutions for issues in this country,” said H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Bengaluru: A day after meeting Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said he has assured his party’s cooperation in the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president’s endeavour to become the voice of the people and farmers nationally.

The former Karnataka chief minister met Rao in Hyderabad on Sunday, the day on which the latter announced that he would launch a national party following more discussions with a cross-section of society.

“It is not the question of a third front, KCR (Rao) has his own ideas on solutions for issues in this country. We had about three-hour-long one-to-one discussions yesterday. He has his own concept for the farming community and seven major cities in the country, and has his own thinking on how to go about implementing it, at the national level,” Kumaraswamy said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said he has sought JD(S)’ cooperation in his endeavour.

“Based on the experience that we share, as a small party, I have assured all cooperation and to join hands with him in lending voice for the issues faced by farmers and people of the country,” the son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda added.

Seeking to provide a national alternative to BJP and the Congress party, the TRS supremo on Sunday said it would reach a consensus on “alternative national agenda,” by continuing discussions with various stakeholders.

Centre to Officially Celebrate Hyderabad ‘Liberation Day’ Amid Politics Over September 17

Union home minister Amit Shah will kick off year-long commemoration to mark 75 years of ‘Hyderabad State Liberation’, with an inaugural event in Hyderabad on September 17.

New Delhi: The Union government has announced that it will hold a year-long commemoration to mark 75 years of ‘Hyderabad State Liberation’, kicking off with an inaugural event presided over by Union home minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad on September 17.

The erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad – which covered the modern-day Marathwada region in Maharashtra, the Hyderabad-Karnataka region in Karnataka, and all districts in current-day Telangana – became part of the Union of India on September 17, 1948.

Union culture minister G. Kishan Reddy has written letters to the chief ministers of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, inviting them to the inaugural programme at the Hyderabad Parade Grounds. Along with Amit Shah, the Karnataka and Maharashtra chief ministers are likely to participate in the event. It is not yet clear if Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will attend the event, given that his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has not acceded to the demand of observing the day officially as ‘liberation day’.

“I am happy to inform you that the Government of India, after careful consideration of the various aspects, decided to celebrate 75 years of Hyderabad State Liberation. The Government of India has approved year-long commemoration of ‘Hyderabad State Liberation’ from Sep 17, 2022 to Sep 17, 2023,” Reddy wrote in each of the letters dated September 3.

He has also requested the three chief ministers to observe the inaugural day of commemoration with suitable events across their states. “I would also request you to identify events and commemorations throughout the year and share these plans with the Government of lndia, so that a holistic approach can be taken in planning the yearlong commemorations,” Reddy wrote.

Also read: To Advance Hindutva Message, BJP Sets Stage for Telangana Liberation Day

The princely state of Hyderabad was ruled by the Nizams and became part of the Indian Union only on September 17, 1948. Political parties in the state are divided over how to view this historical ‘reality’, resulting in no acceptable nomenclature to describe the significance of September 17. Some call it a ‘liberation day’ while others term it as a ‘day of merger’.

There are others who associate the day with military action conducted by the Indian Army in ‘Operation Polo’, widely known as ‘police action’. As The Wire reported earlier, according to a report sanctioned by the Government of India, a “very conservative estimate” said that during and in the aftermath of Operation Polo, at least 27,000 to 40,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed.

While the TRS and Congress in the state celebrate September 17 as ‘Telangana Merger Day’ by hoisting the national flag and paying tributes to the freedom fighters, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) maintains that there is only one Independence Day for the entire country and hence there is no need for separate celebrations in Telangana. Several Muslim groups are also opposed to celebrations, citing the ‘police action’.

The BJP, for its part, has long pushed for the day to be celebrated as ‘liberation day’ – a demand which the TRS government has never conceded to. Recently, Amit Shah alleged that the TRS government is reluctant to celebrate ‘Telangana Liberation Day’ due to “fear” of the AIMIM, according to The Siasat Daily.

Reacting to the announcement, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that September 17 should be observed as ‘National Integration Day’ since it is an occasion to celebrate the struggles of people against both colonial and autocratic rule.

Although the TRS, during the Telangana statehood movement, promised that it would mark the day officially if the Telangana state became a reality and it made it to power, it has never done so in the past eight years of its governance. It has followed the path of successive regimes of the united Andhra Pradesh, which were officially opposed to observing the event.

Given that the BJP is once raking up the emotive issue, while its political prospects in Telangana are seemingly on an upward trajectory, the KCR government considering various options. According to The Hindu, chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to take a call on the matter in the upcoming cabinet meeting and may propose it to be observed as a celebration of the Telangana Armed Struggle – which is another aspect of history associated with September 17, 1948 – a communist-led struggle against the Nizam and his feudal lords.

(With PTI inputs)

In Telangana, BJP Bets High on OBC Support and the Lure of Faster Growth

The recent national executive meeting of the BJP held in Hyderabad has indicated that it is recalibrating its strategy from its sole reliance on Hindu-Muslim polarisation, in line with changing social dynamics in Telangana.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a renewed pitch for Telangana. Unlike its earlier rhetoric on Hindu-Muslim polarisation with atrocities committed by the Razakars under the Nizam, it is banking on capturing the imagination centred around big growth, urban infrastructure, expansion of technology and faster business.

It made a splash with its recent national executive meet and massive public meeting. The BJP is moving to the centre stage riding high on the support of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. In the united Andhra Pradesh, OBCs were with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) while the Congress essentially was supported by Dalits, upper castes and Muslims.

With the bifurcation of the state, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had no specific programme for the OBCs, though most of them get covered and receive benefits as part of the Rythu Bandhu scheme and other occupation-based schemes. OBCs are mostly small land owners across the rural hinterlands of Telangana.

Also read: With BJP Threatening a Repeat of Maharashtra, Are KCR’s Days Numbered?

However, in spite of the welfare schemes of the TRS, there seems to be momentum towards the BJP among the OBCs. This, perhaps, has something to do with the changing face of rural Telangana and how the BJP projected an OBC leadership in Bandi Sanjay and more recently former TRS leader Eatala Rajender.

Rajender was dropped from K. Chandrashekar Rao’s cabinet on allegations of land encroachment but returned to the assembly barely five months later, winning a heated by-poll contest in Huzurabad. He has emerged as a voice of dissent and the face of OBC leadership in Telangana.

The TRS, however, comes across as a party of dominant castes such as the Velamas. Here, the personal leadership style of KCR and his alleged arrogance in handling party affairs are reminiscent of the old-style feudal era in the popular imagination.

From left: Bandi Sanjay, Union ministers Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Etela Rajendra and MLA T. Raja Singhat a public meeting, in Hyderabad, July 3, 2022. Photo: PTI

Changed scenario in Telangana rural landscape

Two constant sources of income for the state exchequer have been land and liquor. The state has actively encouraged the conversion of farmland into real estate with the passing of the Telangana Agricultural Land Conversion Bill, 2020 for non-agricultural purposes.

The sustained agrarian crisis has made it additionally lucrative for small farmers, most of whom happen to be OBCs, to either sell their land holdings or themselves take the initiative to convert the farmland into open plots for constructing villas. There has been a literal windfall and expansion of the rent-seeking economy.

The speculative character of land deals and real estate has also significantly transformed living conditions, consumption patterns and modes of aspirations and expectations. It is literally an overnight transformation that one experiences with heavy investments and purchase of agricultural land by big business houses – the shift from subsistence living to conspicuous consumption that includes higher-end mobiles, luxury cars, villas and tourism.

Also read: Eyes Firmly Set on Taking on BJP, Here Are the Routes KCR Is Keen to Explore

Consider, for instance, one acre of land within a 100-kilometre radius surrounding the capital city of Hyderabad which costs anywhere between Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Even a small farmer owning two acres of land is set to make a cash windfall. The cost of one acre of land outside the 100-kilometre radius costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and upwards.

While farmlands closer to the city of Hyderabad are converted to real estate open plots for residential purposes, construction of villas and also bought by small-scale industries, land beyond the 100-kilometre radius is converted either into farmhouses, gated communities or simply bought as a secured investment for future sale. Most of such land is bought by professionals, businessmen, city dwellers, those working in the Information Technology industry, and non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Let us consider an example to understand the nature of transformation and its impact on social life and politics.

Jangaiyya, who was once a landless labourer from the Mudiraj caste (categorised as OBC), hails from a village about 50 kilometres from Hyderabad. In the last 15 years, his fortunes have changed. Earlier, he was grazing cattle and was into farm-related manual labour. He moved to Hyderabad to work as a server at a small hotel. Over time, he developed contacts with the local businessmen, mostly Marwaris who owned jewellery shops and engaged in the wholesale business of spices and lintels.

At their insistence, he began to assist them using his local contacts in the village in the purchase of agricultural land. He began to earn commission on the sale and purchase of land. With the construction of the international airport on the outskirts of Hyderabad, land prices shot up. Jangaiyya himself began to sell and purchase land. Today, he is an owner of three huge buildings and residential complexes in the nearby town, with a comfortable life.

There are many such cases. In the course of my conversations with some of them, they pointed out that most middlemen in real-estate transactions belong to the OBC community.

For many middlemen, reliance on muscle, political clout and corrupt government officials, including the local police,  is routine. Most businessmen who bought large chunks of land need such physical protection for their properties, which makes some lower-end caste groups much in demand.

One of them narrated how he got his son trained in karate to become a Black Belt holder. There are others like the famous Hyderabad Pehlwan, who has a history of violence, and a noted history-sheeter who helps in dealing with land embroiled in court cases. He can get land vacated and also illegally occupy land.

There are also a large number of cases dealing with temple lands – lands that were donated to the local temple today are occupied by those with the ability to use violence and are connected to local politicians. These henchmen also double up in disciplining the labour engaged by local industries. Most of the labour force is from outside, from states like Bihar and Jharkhand.

How the BJP is trying to connect

It may be noted that ‘Hindu’ organisations have also emerged as a part of this new political economy. The employment of religion in illegal dealings and violence gives additional security. Many noted henchmen have shifted their allegiance to local religious and cultural organisations. There is thus a formidable connection among real-estate deals, physical violence and religious symbolism.

It is commonplace to find these henchmen sporting tilaks and organising religious festivals such as Hanuman Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi. Again, aggressive cultural mobilisation seems to converge with the aggression necessary in handling land deals and para-legal transactions.

Most small farmers today are selling land to move to nearby towns and cities in search of secured income, English education for their children and health facilities.

According to estimates, 3.42 lakh acres of agricultural land within the 100-kilometre radius has been converted into real estate. It is mostly the old, some small farmers and the landless Dalits who have remained in the villages.

Most want better quality roads and big development to reach the towns. Big development, speculative land deals, fast-paced mobility, and rags to riches stories are what dominate the narrative of the rural hinterlands of Telangana. The poor are being taken care of by state welfare policies, including MNREGA, pension schemes, free rice, and ration.

It is to this changing face of rural Telangana that the BJP is attempting to appeal by promising even faster growth and quicker mobility. With no other imagination in sight, one has to wait and watch how regional parties which bank on transactional welfarism and subsistence living react. One must see if their caste-based policies can appeal to this changing imagination.

However, they come across as less driven than the BJP. The sheer energy, scale, speed, big-talk and link with the Union government and its development plans (like building roads and infrastructure) provide an entry point for the BJP. Apart from that, the use of religious symbolism has an instrumental role, beyond religiosity.

Prime Minister Modi’s tempered speech at the recent public meeting at Parade Grounds in Hyderabad seems to be an attempt to connect to this underlying imagination. It seems to be a course correction from the high decibel communal campaign and its failure in Bengal.

Ajay Gudavarthy is an associate professor at the Centre for Political Studies, JNU. 

With BJP Threatening a Repeat of Maharashtra, Are KCR’s Days Numbered?

In the lead-up to the BJP national executive committee meeting in Hyderabad, several saffron party leaders warned the Telangana chief minister that he would meet the same fate as Uddhav Thackeray.

Hyderabad: After Maharashtra became the latest opposition-ruled state to collapse, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have publicly stated that it is now the turn of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government.

In the run up to the party’s national executive committee meeting on July 2 and 3, held in Hyderabad, high-profile leaders did not shy away from claiming that Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR)’s tenure is ending.

Union minister of tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy; the BJP OBC Morcha national president K. Laxman, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha; Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya, also the Bangalore South MP; and the BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai at different programmes leading up to the July 2 national executive meet warned that KCR will meet the same fate as the Shiv Sena chief and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Laxman, who preceded Bandi Sanjay Kumar as the BJP’s Telangana president, predicted that the political scenario in Telangana would completely change after BJP’s national executive committee meet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rally in Hyderabad on July 3. He asserted that the TRS – like the Shiv Sena – is a “family party” and it would meet the same fate. “The downfall of TRS and KCR has started,” he declared.

From left: Bandi Sanjay, Union ministers Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and other party leaders at a public meeting, in Hyderabad, July 3, 2022. Photo: PTI

Pink-saffron showdown in Hyderabad

But KCR is not one to take things lying down.

The BJP chose Hyderabad as the destination for its national executive meet because Telangana will go to the poll late next year. The party’s top brass – Modi, Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda and Yogi Adityanath, among many others – arrived in Hyderabad and signalled the party’s focus on expanding in the south, first in Telangana and next in Tamil Nadu.

In his own show of strength, KCR invited the opposition’s presidential candidate Yaswanth Sinha. In the government-sponsored function, the Telangana CM dared the BJP to bring down his government. “Then, I will see the fall of your government at the Centre,” he thundered.

The BJP has reportedly constituted an in-house committee, headed by Etela Rajendar – once a minister in the KCR cabinet who in now a BJP MLA – at the executive meeting to engineer defections. While this will rankle KCR, is there a threat to his government?

Can Telangana become a Maharastra?

As of now, there is no visible and impending threat to the TRS government, Syed Amin Jafri, a journalist-turned lawmaker from AIMIM told The Wire.

There have been rumblings within the TRS during its eight years in power over KCR’s style of functioning and his family’s dominance in the government. But there are no signs that this will build to take the shape of a strong rebellion that can challenge the CM’s leadership.

When Etela, KCR’s long-time associate in the statehood movement, rebelled against his mentor, he was crushed and shown the door.

The media has widely reported on a power tussle between KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao and nephew T. Harish Rao. However, KCR seems to have managed this handing Harish Rao the plum portfolio of finance ministry even as he is projecting Rama Rao as the heir apparent by anointing him the TRS working president.

The KCR government also has an overwhelming majority in the Telangana assembly, with 103 legislators in the 119-member house. In addition, the “friendly party” All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen also has seven MLAs and is ready to come to the TRS’s rescue in the event that it faces difficulties.

Jafri also said that the TRS is firmly rooted in its ideology of regional sentiment and self-pride, therefore it might be difficult to engineer defections on ideological grounds. In Maharashtra, rebel leader Eknath Shinde claimed that Thackeray had diluted the Shiv Sena’s core Hindutva ideology by aligning with the so-called secular Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. This, he claimed, was the reason behind his rebellion.

Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. Photos: PTI Collage: The Wire

The NTR parallel

In the mid-1980s, the undivided Andhra Pradesh shot into the national limelight when Indira Gandhi, through governor Thakur Ram Lal, overthrew the government headed by thespian N.T. Rama Rao (NTR). Indira Gandhi later restored the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government because of a massive people’s movement in favour of NTR.

Rama Rao, subsequently, dissolved the assembly and called for a fresh mandate. Riding high on the crest of sympathy generated by Gandhi’s actions, NTR was elected with a thumping majority in the subsequent poll. Stung by Gandhi’s politics, NTR played an instrumental role in the National Front, whose aim was to unseat the Congress from power.

While KCR has mooted a “federal front” for a while, he has amped up the rhetoric against the BJP-led NDA regime recently. The TRS and KCR have resolved to play a larger role in national politics, saying an alternative agenda is needed to counter the “divisive” BJP.

Boinapalli Vinod Kumar, a TRS leader and the Telangana Planning Board vice-chairman, told The Wire that there is a “marked difference” between the Telugu people, especially those from Telangana, and the people elsewhere. “After all, our people in Telangana toiled to achieve statehood through a prolonged movement. They know how to protect the state from the BJP’s sinister designs,” he said.

Also Read: Eyes Firmly Set on Taking on BJP, Here Are the Routes KCR Is Keen to Explore

Is BJP making a mistake by threatening an overthrow?

Analysts feel that the BJP’s rhetoric of repeating the Maharastra episode in Telangana will boomerang on its own prospects in next year’s assembly elections. Such gestures will only the trigger regional sentiment to KCR’s advantage, as was the case in the last state elections, said analyst Vikram Poola.

He said at the moment, KCR is struggling to overcome the rising tide of anti-incumbency from several sections of voters. The youth are distressed by lack of job opportunities, while farmers are upset with issues in procurement and many others are miffed that the TRS has not delivered on poll promises, Poola said. In this context, the BJP’s threats of bringing down his government will only help KCR keep the regional sentiment card alive.

The election outcome in 2018 is a case in point. After KCR dissolved the assembly prematurely, the Congress roped in TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu, then Andhra Pradesh chief minister, to be part of the “grand alliance”. Naidu’s direct involvement in Telangana’s electioneering gave KCR the opportunity to successfully play to regional sentiments. He said that even after the formation of Telangana, leaders from Andhra Pradesh are trying to rule the state through the grand alliance. This rhetoric work in his favour at the end of the day, Vikram recalled.