BRS (Formerly TRS) has completed 24 years today and is entering its 25th year. The Kartha and Karma of this turbulent journey are KCR, and there is no doubt about it.
In a way, this is also the silver jubilee year of the Telangana Final Stage Struggle. Before 2001, many leaders took up the Telangana movement, but they gave up midway. After 2001, some leaders tried to lead the Telangana movement in parallel with KCR, but they even failed.
Also Read – Kodali Nani is Incapable, Disloyal: YSRCP Leader
Only KCR was able to sustain the movement until Telangana was established. KCR was able to drive the movement in his own style. However, the methods followed by KCR have been controversial many times and have invoked criticism.
But then, at the end, what matters is that the statehood has become a reality under his leadership.
Also Read – CM Revanth’s Personal Invite to Bandi, What’s Cooking?
24 years ago, the main attraction of KCR was his language and dialect. Those are the days, speaking Telangana dialect is a taboo. Even native Telangana leaders speak in the Andhra dialect.
KCR’s speeches in Telangana’s native language and village dialect turned the people and leaders towards him. They identified themselves in him.
Also Read – Is It CBN’s Responsibility to Grow BJP in AP?
Since the days of the Nizam, people of Telangana have always had that rebel spirit in them. KCR’s appearance is not attractive but he had that rebel attitude. Those who did not believe in the Telangana movement mocked him, saying, ‘What will this బక్కోడు do?”
He spoke in a language understandable to the masses. He explained things in that language. He explained how Telangana was being discriminated in Andhra rule. At one point, people grasped what KCR was saying, and later on, people stopped trying to grasp and believed whatever KCR said.
The padayatra he did in the Telangana villages in the early days was able to strongly convey the necessity of achieving Telangana statehood to the people. It made many leaders from all parties join hands with TRS.
Acharya Kothapalli Jayashankar, who is known as an ideologue of the Telangana movement, praised KCR’s subject knowledge, leadership talent, and efficiency many times.
He used politics to drive the movement. Whenever it appeared like the agitation was slowing down or when the opponents were gaining the upper hand, he would resign or make his people resign, bringing by-elections.
The election spirit always ensured that the people remember, talk, and discuss the movement.
However, KCR’s personality is riddled with many imperfections as well.
The way he treated those who followed him in his long journey from the beginning has been criticized many times. Most importantly, the way he treated such leaders after coming to power has dimmed KCR’s glory.
Immediately after coming to power, he announced, “TRS is no longer a movement party, but a political party. We will take any decisions as per the needs of the government and the party”.
The leaders who strived for Telangana statehood were sidelined, and many leaders who were in the opposition and worked against the Telangana movement have started getting prominence. They were taken into the party even though there was no need, and were given cabinet berths and other important Government positions.
Many people who sacrificed their lives for the movement hoped to get political opportunities, but the situation was reversed.
KCR tried to convince that strengthening TRS is needed for Telangana’s well-being. But it is the first time there has been a disagreement.
The so-called traitors to Telangana were part of the Telangana Government, thanks to KCR.
KCR showed deliberate indifference towards leaders like Gade Innaiah, Ale Narendra, Regulapati Papa Rao, Vijayashanti, Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, Raghunandan Rao, Ravindra Nayak, and Vijaya Rama Rao, who had walked in parallel with him in the early days of the movement.
After that, many people like Kodandaram, Jitender Reddy, Ramulu Nayak, Etala Rajender, Rajayya Yadav, Cheruku Sudhakar, and Jitta Balakrishna Reddy were shunted out. Eatala was always known as number two in the movement and the government, but he was treated with disgrace and was shown the door out.
Many believe that TRS would have had a tough time in 2018 itself if Chandrababu Naidu had not tried to interfere in Telangana Politics. Thanks to him, TRS got a second term easily.
KCR behaved like an absolute monarch in the second term. Not having a cabinet for several months indicated to the people that power has gone to his head. They immediately showed dissent by giving substantial seats to Congress and the BJP in the Parliament elections. But KCR refused to read the writing on the wall.
He locked himself away from the people behind the high walls of Pragathi Bhavan. He would not go among the people and would not talk to them. The ‘connection’ between KCR and the people was lost at this time.
He himself erased Telangana from TRS and made it BRS. He built castles in thin air and dreamt of being a National Party. At every step, people were only walking away from him.
He only went to the people at the stroke of the 2023 elections, but it is all over by then.
While KCR’s Political side is riddled with these imperfections post achieving statehood. He also delivered a very good administration by balancing welfare and development.
He executed some of the exemplary welfare schemes and built some projects very quickly. He solved the water and power crisis for Telangana in a quick time. Hyderabad also registered some good investments.
But then, Telangana people are different. They will never tolerate tyranny. It runs deep in their veins ever since the days of the Nizam. So, they kept everything away and believed the tyrannical rule should be ended. And they did.
BRS or TRS drew a blank in the Parliament elections. That is the situation now.
Even today, KCR has not changed a bit. He locks himself in the Farm House, keeping a distance from the people. He stopped going to the Assembly because he thought Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was not in his range.
KTR recently announced that KCR would not go to the house for the remainder of the term.
It is not that KCR was always with the people during the agitation days. Even then, he used to spend most of the time in his Farm House, but there is ‘Telangana sentiment’ that would keep him connected to the people.
Now that is lost. The public appearances have become sparse. KCR has become a ‘Premium’ Material. He is not the Baapu of the Telangana Movement days. He is now ‘Sir’. That has created a big gap.
Even though KTR, Harish Rao, and Kavitha are good orators. They are not even half of KCR, who is an emotion.
Some people may say this is nothing but a transition to the next generation. KCR has had the chance to allow the transition for ten years, but he did not do that. Transition never happens in Opposition, and that too for a regional party.
BRS needs KCR one more time. The substitutes can not do the heavy lifting like him.
BRS and its ecosystem believe that they will come to power automatically. They are not doing anything to please the people or bring back the lost connection. They are only hoping Revanth Reddy will fail on all fronts, and automatically they will benefit.
