bYou Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao aims to take on the BJP and emerge as a national force. This is an ambitious step. It may also be a misadventure, as Mr. Rao has yet to catch up with the rest of the country, has distanced himself from the brand name that propelled him to power, and seems to have a national vision. is lacking. Moreover, their position on the home turf is also unstable, as the TRS recently lost some by-elections to the BJP. After Karnataka and Puducherry, the BJP sees Telangana as the next best bet for its expansion in the south.
Mr Rao has not established himself as a leader with national appeal by bringing together opposition parties. The TRS had distanced itself from the meetings of the opposition parties to decide its candidate for the presidential election on the ground that it cannot share the stage with the Congress. The party only backed opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in an effort to defeat the BJP and “protect” democratic and constitutional values. Earlier also, Mr. Rao had said that TRS is not part of the opposition front. But the presence of the Congress in the opposition is crucial for uniting the anti-BJP parties, given its pan-India presence.
Reacting to the development, Telangana Jana Samiti President, M. Kodandaram, who was once a disciple of Mr Rao, said the chief minister’s goal was only to create anti-BJP sentiment to win next year’s assembly elections in Telangana. He said that Mr. Rao had no plans to become a force at the national level.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee campaign committee president and former MP Madhu Yaskhi said that Mr Rao does not inspire confidence as a national leader as he has not proved his credentials. He said that Mr. Rao was trying to divide the opposition for the benefit of the BJP.
In fact, even TRS leaders, cadres and political activists have struggled to accept the change. In a shameful slip, a minister called the new party “BSP” instead of “BRS” at a public meeting to celebrate Dussehra.
TRS does not have a presence in any other state, which includes Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka, another neighboring state, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that Mr Rao was not interested in fielding a candidate for the upcoming assembly elections, but was not interested in fielding the JD(S) for the 2023 elections. ) will support the candidates.
It is difficult to imagine Mr Rao’s role in national politics, as the TRS has only nine out of 17 MPs in the state. In such a situation, it may be difficult for him to beat leaders like Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee to become the most influential opposition leader.
If Mr. Rao had bargaining power, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Like Chandrababu Naidu, once would have made a difference. Today Shri Naidu has become irrelevant in the political scene. He tried to unite the anti-BJP forces ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019 but failed miserably. But two decades ago, he played the role of ‘kingmaker’ in two coalition governments at the Centre.
Mr Rao’s party also lacks development programs that would attract people at the national level. While the Chief Minister has earned the credit of increasing the cultivable area manifold in Telangana, his plans have not been replicated by other states. On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal’s programs of free electricity to homes, free education and free rides for women in buses have clearly upset Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has called for “Rewari culture” to be offered to the people. cautioned against. Vote for free. AAP has taken advantage of its ‘Delhi model’ and tried to sell it in other states. TRS needs such promises.
Mr Rao has a major challenge before him: to retain power in his state as well as create a political space for powerful parties in other states. Political observers say Mr. Kejriwal has managed to turn the Gujarat election into a BJP versus AAP contest. The AAP also managed to win the Punjab elections by capitalizing on widespread discontent against the Congress and the Akalis. Whether BRS can produce such an effect remains to be seen, but it has a long way to go.