It was announced a week in advance that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would visit Medaram to pray to the deities Sammakka-Saralamma on February 18, a day before the conclusion of the four-day biennial event. The official machinery left no stone unturned to ensure that there is no glitch during the Chief Minister’s visit. Sensing it as a political opportunity to get at least some attention of the Chief Minister, a large number of the ruling TRS leaders including Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, MPs reached there well before the scheduled arrival time of the Chief Minister. Interestingly, several key leaders of the ruling party who were present there and asked by television news channel reporters, as part of sending regular feed, as to what was their wish or what they prayed to the deities, they had one common wish – to see their leader (KCR) as the country’s Premier. It may sound quite unusual as to how everyone would make the same wish. Well, that’s the art of survival and a step in the ladder of success in the present day politics, observes a senior politician who went through snakes and ladders in politics.
Starry presence in politics
Actor Prakash Raj, a known anti-BJP crusader, surprised everyone figuring in the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s entourage to Mumbai to meet the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackerey. He was the only non-TRS member in the list of invitees though his soft corner for KCR is well known. It is not clear whether the CM invited him to join the team and if so with what intentions. By including a film star, the CM apparently wants to send a message to the Bollywood that even the South film industry is a part of the anti-BJP front he wants to float. Senior TRS leaders, however, were surprised with the film star’s inclusion but agree that any move of KCR is well thought out.
Claims and counter claims
The war of words between the Telangana government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government continues unabated.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has upped the ante against the Centre for the injustice meted out to States in terms of allocations as well as the Centre’s alleged incursions into subject under States’ jurisdiction. The Chief Minister vowed to bring down the BJP Government in the next elections and had initiated political process in this direction.
The Central government had, however, denied these charges and the latest salvo came from Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy. Mr. Reddy elaborated on the allocations made to the State the other day for improvement of roads, regional ring road and other projects.
It has become a matter of routine that whenever the State government accused the Centre of indifference in development projects, the latter came up with figures to substantiate its claims of extending help and the same was denied by the Chief Minister and Ministers here.
B. Chandrashekhar, R. Ravikanth Reddy and M. Rajeev
