Chief Minister of Andhra’s twin sister state, Telangana expands his political horizon southwards towards Andhra Pradesh. K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana’s Chief Minister and founder of its current ruling party, the Bharat Rasthra Samithi (BRS) recently announced a New Year surprise – his party’s official entry into the political marathon of Andhra Pradesh, which ahead of its early 2024 elections, has already turned into a political circus, with an over charged environment of political threats in word and action, obscene commentary, unparliamentary language, crude political jokes and theatrical, dramatical performances of all varieties.
The BRS party’s K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) will meet his match in Andhra’s current Chief Minister and leader of the YSRCP party, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Both men are known for their rather large, sensitive male egos and a penchant for loud, rude, outspoken commentary often times, barely within boundaries of accepted cultural norms for decent language and accusations. It is bound to be a unpleasant face-off and a slimy slug-fest if it comes down to an actual political war between KCR and Jagan, currently the reigning kings in their respective states. Incidentally, the Andhra CM’s own sister, Sharmila who is rumored to be on bad terms with YS Jagan Reddy, launched her own YSRTP party in Chandrasekar Rao’s Telangana state in 2021. Now with KCR’s official entry into A.P politics well after Jagan’s sister Sharmila’s 2021 entry into Telangana politics, the two men are officially on each other’s toes and turf, although Jagan claims disinterest and non-involvement in his sister’s party. Sibling rivalry apart, people assume, there is bound to be some sympathy and support for each other beneath a carefully projected political veneer.
KCR’s Telangana based Bharat Rasthra Samithi party (BRS) was until October 2022, better known as the TRS party (Telangana Rashtra Samiti), a party confined to Telangana, whose statehood after the bifurcation of the larger, united Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and Andhra, was attributed to the efforts of KCR and his TRS party. In October of last year, the TRS party was registered and renamed BRS after KCR announced a larger national political interest rather than staying true to its regional roots and presence. Andhra Pradesh has become the BRS party’s first state outside of its native Telangana territory that the party wants to test its national ambitions on. Andhra may be a natural interest for KCR and the BRS party given that it is a sister Telugu state but it’s certainly not going to be an easy ride. Andhra’s people and politicians are more socially aware, politically savvy and more “seasoned” in the ways of the world than the people of Telangana who are often referred to as simple, local-oriented, content and trusting in nature.
Additionally, it’s going to be a hard sell for the BRS party in Andhra because it was KCR and his BRS/TRS party that was responsible for the bifurcation of the united erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh back in 2014. Public memory, especially in politically opportunistic Indian states, can be short but it is less than ten years since the major event of a bitterly contested bifurcation between Andhra and Telangana – the people of Andhra are still smarting from what is considered an unfair split and a stinging ‘defeat’. KCR and his party had refused to share Hyderabad as a common capital and continue to put up a fight for shared resources and financial incentives between the two Telugu states. Even now, almost a decade after the bifurcation, it is common to hear conversations in Andhra about how it was the leaders and people from the Andhra regions that helped bring a certain level of awareness and development to the Telangana regions, which had hitherto suffered backwardness and economic hardship after centuries of rule by the vassals of the Mughal empire, the Nizams of the former Hyderabad State.
The Andhra people argue that both leaders as well as enterprising settlers from the more progressive Andhra region, helped bring development to the Telangana districts over the years. Many Telangana people acknowledge the contribution of Andhra leaders, particularly the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) founder, N.T Rama Rao with his social awareness and social welfare programs and current TDP leader, Chandrababu Naidu with his technology oriented focus on Hyderabad’s development into a major player in the IT and Pharmaceutical industries.
There is also speculation that KCR’s timely entry into A.P politics may covertly be a minor electoral distraction and help, in favour of Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP party, which is currently under immense pressure from a seemingly united and strong opposition against it – the TDP, JSP (Jana Sena party), the BJP and CPI appear favorable to each other, inspite of ideological differences. They see the deteriorating law and order situation in A.P and the YSRCP party’s autocratic rule as problems that need to be addressed in the 2024 elections.
Thus far, the BRS party’s strategy for Andhra appears to be heavily dependent on defectors from other A.P parties and some sarcastically remark, ex-leaders with an “expiry” date, seeking political relevance in current times. Leaders that have since joined the brand new 2023 A.P unit of the BRS party are: Thota Chandrasekhar, ex- general secretary of Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena party (JSP), former minister Ravela Kishore Babu who was with the BJP, a former IRS official Ch Partha Sarathi, TJ Prakash, ex-leader from Anantapur who was previously with Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party before its merger with the Congress party in 2011. Ravela Kishore Babu, is a party hopper known for jumping ship from TDP to Jana Sena, onwards to the BJP and now signed up with the BRS. Thota Chandrasekhar has been anointed, president of AP unit of the BRS. He claims that several sitting legislators from the ruling party are keen on joining the BRS party.
In his inaugural address at the announcement of the BRS party’s entry into AP politics, KCR has promised farmers ‘free’ power at the cost of Rs 1.45 Lakh Crore per year, within two years of being voted to power. He also promised a 24 hour uninterrupted power supply across the state and implementation of the “Dalit Bandhu” Scheme.
Strong reactions are coming in from various quarters among the general public, on social media platforms. People in AP are sharing old video recordings of KCR viciously attacking Seemandhra (united Andhra movement, opposing the state’s bifurcation) leaders and the Andhra people. The Andhra leaders who have joined the BRS unit in AP are being questioned and shamed.
Throwback to the varied reactions from the political circles of Andhra back in October 2022, when KCR’s regional TRS party became the national BRS party, from leaders across Andhra’s political parties:
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and current opposition leader, N. Chandrababu Naidu when asked for a reaction on the newly renamed TRS party as the BRS party with national Vs regional ambitions, responded with a quick and cryptic laugh but declined to answer.
Many leaders from the ruling YSR Congress party (YSRCP) felt that the transition of the regional TRS party into a national BRS party would have no impact on AP, back in October. Did they or did they not anticipate the BRS’s direct entry into A.P politics just two months after their dismissive remarks ?
YSRCP leader and education minister, Botcha Satyanarayana was of the opinion that although the transition of the TRS party into the BRS party was clearly for politically strategic reasons, it would be a minor presence in A.P and would simply be one among many parties with little significance.
Deputy Chief Minister Peedika Rajanna Dora doubted the survival of KCR’s party in Andhra Pradesh. “Can we/should we allow KCR to come here and dominate our people? He did not accept Hyderabad as joint capital. People will not accept his hegemony here (in AP),” he observed.
YSRCP general secretary, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy opined that new parties were welcome because they increase competition and hence improve performance of existing parties.
Housing minister of the YSRCP, Jogi Ramesh remarked “no issues… but if they try to create any trouble for our party, we will retaliate strongly”.
Senior YSRCP leader, TTD Trust Board chairman and Jagan’s uncle Y.V. Subba Reddy, boasted that no party would be a match for his nephew’s YSRCP party. He seemed confident that the YSRCP party’s numerous ‘free’ welfare schemes would bring Jagan back to power in 2024.
Former Congress MP from Rajahmundry, Vundavalli Arun Kumar said he was not averse to voting for the BRS party in the next A.P elections as he would be in favour of anyone willing to stand against the BJP!
Ex-Congress leader, Akula Srinivas Kumar reiterated that KCR was solely responsible for the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh. KCR had spread hatred against Andhra and its people and continues to create problems for the residual A.P in terms of resource allocation and sharing. He expressed indignation at the audacity of KCR’s political ambitions in A.P, considering the existential crisis inflicted on A.P and the insults heaped on its people.
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