KCR gives new direction to T movement

TRS supremo Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao has successfully given a new secular,people-oriented direction to the Telangana movement after Thursdays Maha Garjana at Warangal.The presence of Muslim leaders,social activist Swami Agnivesh and JAC leader M Kodandaram has given the separate statehood stir a rounded feel,say political observers. Apart from successfully organising one of Indias largest public meetings in recent times,KCR has come out as a leader who now allows people to speak out about their demands and not just limit it to a mere party slogan.He is thinking not just in terms of making it a TRS-driven movement but giving a character to peoples movement, analysts said.

The fact that he kept his family and close aides away from cornering glory and gave Swami Agnivesh,Prof Kodandaram and others equal importance at the garjana meeting points to his new political game plan to sustain the movement.While observers say that the signals are not positive to a separate T-state in the immediate scenario,KCR is looking at a long haul to keep the T-flame burning.

How does he balance the T-hype and keep the momentum would be his biggest challenge after December 31, senior political analyst Telkapalli Ravi said.KCRs immediate task would be to prepare the four and a half crore people of the region and his own party men to the fact that Telangana is not round the corner.The intent is there but the intensity of Dec.9 of last year could waver, Warangal West MLA T Vinay Bhaskar agreed.

Bhaskar said they would take the agitation forward by resorting to non-cooperation movement and peaceful means of protests.While JAC would decide the future plan of action,we would bring government functioning to a grinding halt with employees,advocates and other sections resorting to pen-down strikes, he said.He further said if not now,the Centre has to fulfil the larger aspirations of the people and grant separate Telangana state at a later stage. Observers said while TRS has championed the T-cause,it cannot be a repetition of Dec.9 of last year when the movement reached its peak.With so many players entering the T-arena,including the likelihood of Jaganmohan Reddy singing T-tune,KCRs efforts would be directed towards keeping the pressure on the Centre.

Though KCR issued an ultimatum to the Centre to table the T-bill in Parliament in February on the grounds that patience of the people was running out,political commentators see it as yielding ground to the Congress high command.That he is ready to wait till February-end after Dec.31 deadline in itself gives some leeway to the Centre, opined Ravi. However,TRS leader Rajaiah Yadav warned that T-agitation would become fierce if their demand was not accepted.We however want the Telangana supporters to move cautiously and strategically, he said.He said leaders of government employees unions and students would undertake a spirited campaign to achieve the statehood goal.

Leader of Telangana nongazetted officers association K Swamy Goud said the employees from the region would not hesitate to launch a pendown strike in support of the separate state.Stressing that the T word would continue to be uttered everywhere,Kodandaram wondered how the government would function if employees and other sections of society refuse to cooperate with the administration.

JOINING FORCES: TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao with social activist Swamy Agnivesh at Maha Garjana in Warangal on Thursday
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FAMILY POLITICS - KTR heir apparent,hints TRS chief

Dynastic politics seems to be taking centre-stage in TRS with party president K Chandrasekhar Rao deciding to entrust the responsibility of strengthening the party to his son K Taraka Rama Rao. The elevation of Taraka Rama Rao has reportedly not gone down too well with KCRs nephew T Harish Rao.Harish Rao has been taking an active role in the party and is one of the most vocal representative of TRS.In what showed his popularity in the Telangana region,he had won by a record margin in the byelections to Siddipet assembly seat earlier this year.

However,Harish Rao failed to get his aide P Srinivas re-nominated in the recent selection of TRSV (TRS student wing) president as KTR succeeded to nominate his associate N Suman. A senior-most TRS leader told TOI that KCR had conveyed to the party leaders at a recent meeting that Taraka Rama Rao would be given key responsibilities to strengthen the party.He reportedly told them that he would ask his son to interact with party secretaries and district leaders regularly and take decisions to see that the party was geared up for taking up agitations to achieve separate statehood.

The senior leader said KTR would also tour the districts to oversee the party affairs.Besides,he would take the responsibility of weaning away leaders from Congress and TDP and get them into the party fold. In fact,on earlier occasions too,KCR had handed over the partys important assignments to his son.He had asked him to give a power-point presentation on the prospects of development of Telangana after the bifurcation of state at India CEO Forum held at Hyderabad on September 22. He was also asked to meet the Srikrishna Committee members during the last informal meeting held on Thursday.

KTR entered into active politics and joined TRS in 2006.In 2007 he was made the state secretary and later general secretary of the party.He got elected from Sircilla assembly constituency in 2009 election.
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(source-TOI)