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Lalita Iyer
Lalita Iyer

Telangana

KCR taking measured steps with eye on 2019 general elections

PTI4_13_2017_000241B [File photo] Chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (left) is unlikely to face any opposition to the Muslim/ST quota bill from the Centre | PTI

State recently passed bill providing 12% and 10 % reservation to Muslims and ST, respectively

Even as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders are getting ready for the plenary session on April 21, to select the party president with Home Minister Nayini Narasimha Reddy as the presiding officer, the party held a special assembly session and passed a bill providing 12 per cent reservation to Muslims and 10 per cent to Scheduled Tribe communities. 

Five BJP MLAs who protested were suspended from the assembly. While the move is definitely aimed at the vote bank for the general elections to be held in 2019, the bill has to still be cleared by the Centre. 

However, chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao assumes there would be no opposition to the bill in the Centre. By sheer coincidence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a tour in Odisha, also remarked the Muslims were backward and the government must ensure that they benefit from the National Commission for Backward Classes. With this, KCR, slated to meet the PM on April 23 at the NITI Ayog meeting, is looking to make Muslim quota his agenda.

"With both the Telangana CM and the PM being on the same page as far as providing an upliftment to Muslims is concerned, we think there is a positive possibility of the quota being enhanced and taken into the ninth schedule," says Jwala Narasimha Rao, chief public relations officer of Telangana chief minister. 

Meanwhile, after the plenary session, a massive public meeting will be held in Warangal to mark the 16th foundation day of the party and the completion of three years of the TRS government in the new 29th state. While at one point of time the chief minister used to say that Telangana state was cash surplus, he has now instructed every TRS party members to do labour work for two days during April 14-20, and use the amount to travel to Warangal where the meeting is to be held. 

This kind of crowd-funding is called Gulabi Koolie Dinalu (Pink labour days). While this was the practise for 13 years when the party was fighting for the separate state of Telangana, “mobilising resources had a different nomenclature then,” according to Rao. “Now, the CM is requesting people to bear their own expenses by earning wages,” he adds. 

Such a large-scale public meeting was held in 2014, before the state division, and with the mood for a separate state peaking, Warangal was overflowing with Telangana supporters. KCR's speech increased the TRP ratings of every TV channel then. The speeches, dotted by sarcasm against one and all, especially KCR's bete noire Chandrababu Naidu and the Congress party in general, had attracted a lot of listeners.

Now, KCR has ordered his ministers, MLAs and other leaders to organise a similar public meeting, so that TRS can improve his image. This has, however, left the legislators and other leaders wondering on how to realise it, especially with a lot of party cadre unhappy at the village level. 

The enthusiasm and mood that existed before the state formation have vastly changed now with a lot of unrequitted hopes and wishes. A total of 1,000 acres of land has been identified for the meeting at Prakashreddypet, of which around 200 acres would be used for conducting the meeting. The remaining 800 acres would be for parking of vehicles. The state government is expecting nearly 15 lakh people.

Meanwhile, KCR is trying to set things right by promising to build two-bedroom houses before the end of 2018, waiving off farmers' loans and offering them free fertiliser. He is also ensuring uninterrupted power supply to rural areas for the farming community. But many feel this is too little, too late.

In fact, the announcement of free fertilisers to farmers came as a surprise to many, including the elected representatives. There is widespread anger in Telangana and most of them are not fond of the 'hereditary politics' that the CM is following, but KCR is charging ahead, fully aware that there is really no opposition to him or his politics.

And, with his policies being more towards vote bank politics, he can afford to be brawny without fear of repercussions. 

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