The suspense over Prashant Kishor's future role in the Congress has been continuing. On Sunday, the saga saw a twist after it emerged Kishor had held talks with TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. On Monday, news emerged the TRS had entered into a tie-up with Kishor's political consultancy, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
The news of the I-PAC deal with TRS had caused concern among some Congress leaders as the grand old party considers itself the primary opposition outfit in Telangana.
Since Monday, K.T. Rama Rao, the son of K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has been giving statements seeking to differentiate between Kishor and I-PAC. Rama Rao, who is a minister in his father's government, is considered one of the most influential leaders of the TRS.
K.T. Rama Rao told ANI the Congress was a “redundant institution”. He told ANI “The people of India gave them a chance to rule for more than 50 years in the last 75 years. The country has been let down by Congress and the BJP. Congress particularly is a party that has been tried, tested and dusted. I don't see any future in Congress.”
When asked whether Kishor would facilitate an alliance between the TRS and Congress, Rama Rao said “I believe that Congress does not have a future. That party was part of history and will remain history. It has no future. If it has no future, then how can I say that we would work with them? What happens in the future, we will see.”
K.T. Rama Rao told Republic TV that his party had tied up with I-PAC, and not Kishor. “If you look at the entire political spectrum, every single political party in the country has aligned with one agency or the other. And we have chosen to ally with I-PAC. Now Prashant Kishor and what he chooses to do as an individual in the political landscape, that's his personal decision. But in my humble opinion, at this point in time, the political institution, which he is purportedly joining which I am not aware of is certainly a sinking ship, so I don't know,” Rama Rao told Republic TV.
Rama Rao declared there was no “conflict of interest” in tying up with I-PAC. He told Republic TV “This is not the first time we have had discussions with Prashant Kishor. We have met several times during the last several years. Myself, the honourable Chief Minister, we have met him several times. So, it is nothing new for us. And secondly, we have chosen now to work with an agency that he has no association with. Where is the conflict of interest?”
