KCR left a strong message to his party workers: "Don't worry too much about those who left us. The party will stay intact."
KCR with BRS workers in Hyderabad. (X)
Staring at an existential crisis, BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao resolved to lift the morale of his cadres with a pep talk on Thursday, 18 April, the day the Election Commission notified the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana.
He promised them a much better future and encouraged them to wait to see in him the reincarnation of the original KCR, who had fiercely waged the struggle during the Telangana movement.
The cadres perhaps needed to hear his rallying words when the BRS faced an exodus of leaders, and an electoral reversal would only set it on an irreversible downward spiral.
Boosting their confidence, KCR used the occasion to hand over cheques of ₹95 lakh to each of the 17 candidates towards election expenses.
The leader intends to recover from the Assembly election debacle last November and retrieve as much political ground as BRS had ceded to Congress to remain afloat and relevant in the present political context.
Ignoring any niggles remaining of his hip replacement surgery, the former chief minister is doing what any party leader would do. He is holding election rallies and undertaking Polam Baata–farmers’ outreach programme–to show he can turn things around.
At the meeting, KCR sought to resurrect the Telangana zeitgeist to make people rally behind him. He is understood to have told them that he would again take on the role of the leader of the Telangana movement like he did before 2014.
The former chief minister predicted “chaos” in state politics after the Lok Sabha elections, which might benefit the BRS.
“Any political development in the state would help the BRS assert itself and fight back. The people are very angry with the Congress for not keeping the promises it made at the time of the elections. After the Lok Sabha elections, our MPs should voice the concerns of the people of Telangana in the Lok Sabha,” the BRS chief said.
KCR is understood to have laid out the future scenario as he saw it. He recalled how the BJP tried to spirit away the BRS MLAs by sending emissaries to hold talks with them. At that time, the BRS had 104 MLAs in the Assembly. Even then, the BJP made an attempt to topple the BRS government. Then, he asked how the BJP would remain quiet and not pull down the Congress government with only 64 members in the Assembly.
He reportedly tried to convey that the BJP and the Congress were on the same page, saying that the BRS leaders who joined the Congress felt suffocated since the BJP was calling the shots there.
The former chief minister looked intent on taking maximum advantage of the adverse seasonal conditions prevailing in the state to turn the people’s anger at the Congress government. Accordingly, the BRS chief appears keen on planning to lead bus yatras and interactive sessions with farmers to strike a chord with them and make them trust the party again.
He told them, “I will also participate in interactive sessions with farmers. My bus yatra route will soon be finalised. We have to raise the issues that concern the farmers.”
He also allayed their fears of desertion: “Don’t worry too much about those who left us. Nothing is going to happen. The party will stay intact.”
According to party sources, KCR wants to be on Polam Baata during morning hours and evening road shows. He will address two or three whistle-stop meetings in each Parliamentary constituency.
The party will organize large public meetings in Siddipet and Warangal to demonstrate that it continues to be a formidable force.
May 02, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
