Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao appears to have two priorities at the moment, in this order: checkmate the opposition with early polls and retain power for another term. If it had been a game of chess, the 64-year-old바카라s calculative move to advance the state elections by at least six months, before the scheduled fixture in April-May next year, would be a fine gambit. But politics follows its own set of rules. The Opposition, especially the Congress under whose wings he cut his political teeth in the 1980s, accused him of being afraid바카라that his pot of alleged wrongdoings will brim over by the time the polls are held in 2019 and that voters will reject him.
Scared? Who? The mood in the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is full of confidence, despite dissenting voices reported within the party for the first time. Party leaders justify KCR바카라s move, saying surveys conducted by their own party as well the Congress and BJP give a clear edge to the TRS. Besides, they say, the seed of early polls was sown when the Narendra Modi government proposed simultaneous elections, an idea the Election Commission has ruled out for now. The TRS and Naveen Patnaik바카라s BJD endorsed the Centre바카라s proposal, though several states ruled by the Congress and other opposition parties바카라for instance, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh바카라have apparently opposed it.
TRS legislator Rajeshwar Reddy calls the Opposition바카라s challenge far-fetched as the 바카라positive outcome바카라 of the surveys shows 바카라our development and welfare schemes have reached every household in the state. Yes, whether it바카라s irrigation or agriculture or power, we have done exceedingly well and this was evident from various central agencies official statistics바카라. He goes on to list the feats under KCR바카라s leadership that the new state, carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, had achieved. 바카라We have a record of sorts with a steady 17.3 per cent growth rate for the past four years, which many BJP-ruled states haven바카라t been able to do. That being the track record, why should we be scared to face the electorate?바카라 There are more: 60 kilos of rice and a monthly handout of Rs 1,000 to the poor, an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, and schemes such as 바카라shadi mubarak바카라, 바카라shelter for all바카라 or 바카라vision to all바카라 (kanti velugu).
Another TRS leader, who doesn바카라t wish to be named, called these projects KCR바카라s vision to shape Telangana into a model state, where 바카라success stories of governance바카라 could be heard in every sector. 바카라Why then is the opposition cribbing? KCR is a visionary. He feels the nation was failed by none other than the Congress and BJP governments ruling at the Centre since Independence. Both parties have failed and lack foresight. If the Congress feels KCR had failed the new state바카라s aspirations, they should accept the challenge, instead of giving lame excuses.바카라
He has thrown in the challenge, but the opposition is unwilling to bite. According to state Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, early polls are a ploy to prevent graft cases from getting exposed in almost all of KCR바카라s welfare schemes. 바카라More so, his own family members바카라 involvement in looting the new state바카라s wealth,바카라 he alleges. Another senior Congress leader, V. Hanumantha Rao, who is opposing KCR바카라s proposal to build a new secretariat in Secunderabad acquiring defence land, asks: 바카라Has he not set a record by visiting the secretariat just 10 or 15 times? Has such a thing happened anywhere in the country since Independence?바카라
The BJP, for once, is on the same page as the Congress and opposition parties. But the party says KCR바카라s fear stems from the 바카라Modi-factor바카라. State party chief K. Lakshman asks: 바카라What happened to his federal front proposal, an alternative to the Congress and BJP? Had other regional parties rejected his idea or dumped him?바카라
As for KCR, he is unperturbed. He wants to dissolve the state assembly and opt for early polls. He has had successive meetings within his cabinet, followed by extended party meets attended by office-bearers, MPs and MLAs in New Delhi. The TRS under KCR바카라s direct supervision will hold a massive public meeting바카라Pragathi Nivedana바카라on September 2 at Kongara Kalan on the outskirts of Hyderabad. It says 2.5 million people are likely to attend. The stage is perhaps set for an announcement that would give some clarity on early polls.
But there is a catch. Six months are available for the Election Commission to hold polls after the dissolution of the state assembly. Will the EC play along to suit KCR바카라s agenda? If it does not agree to early polls in November-December and holds the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in February 2019, what happens to KCR바카라s demand? The ball is actually in the EC바카라s court. How it will play out is anyone바카라s guess.
By M.S. Shanker in Hyderabad
