Telangana turns 10: Will KCR score a hat trick as CM

Hyderabad: “We achieved Telangana. The long-cherished dream of the people, and mine too, has come true. It’s now a new beginning. Like the Telangana movement, there is a need for another movement for reconstruction and development of Telangana State,” remarked Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

This was on June 1, 2014, before he took oath as Chief Minister the next day, June 2, the Appointed Date for the formation of Telangana State.

Having achieved the dream of self-rule, KCR now 10th year in office, is having a blast with decennial celebrations of his government in power, aiming for a third term in 2023, and also setting eyes on national political ambition with an eye on PM’s gaddi!

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which he founded in 2001, is now been turned into Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to achieve his national dreams!

In the general election held in April 2014, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) now Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) emerged victorious by winning 63 of the 119 seats and forming the government. K Chandrashekar Rao was sworn in as the First Chief Minister of the 29th State of Telangana in the country. The Telangana State was inaugurated formally on June 2nd, 2014.

Voters in 2014 were in dilemma as to whom to vote for--KCR who led the movement or Congress, which granted Statehood. KCR got border seats. But in the subsequent polls, voters reposed faith in KCR, and TRS won 88 seats while Congress could get only 19.

KCR who won both the elections on the development plank and promise of “Neellu (water), Nidhulu (funds) and Niyamakalu (jobs)” is still going strong and holds sway over the State. It’s a one-man rule!

Though the opposition Congress, which got a shot in the arm over the party’s win in neighbouring Karnataka, BJP on PM Modi’s charm, are gunning for him and accusing TRS/BRS government of indulging in high corruption and misrule, they could not dent his image till now.

In the first term, 2014-2018, KCR focussed on his team of officials, planning and grounding his pet schemes, including irrigation projects, improving the power sector, and infrastructure, and strengthening his party given a slender majority. He lured MLAs of other parties and swelled his strength and by the second term, he grounded and finished many schemes.

KCR’s biggest achievement was providing a stable government, no power cuts, no communal riots, and no water shortage thanks to good rains, and completion of some irrigation projects, including the mega Rs 1 lakh crore Kaleshwaram project among others.

Increasing districts from 10 to 33 for better administration, Mission Kakatiya restoring 46,000 tanks, Mission Bhagiratha drinking water scheme to villages and towns, Haritha Haram to increase 33 per cent greenery in State, Rythu Bandhu Rs 5000 per acre to pattedar farmer, Rythu Bhima insurance, Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak Rs 1.116 lakh for brides for marriage, Arogya Lakshmi, Aasara Pensions, 2 BHK houses for poor, Lands to Dalit, free rice, strengthen security, SHE teams, sheep distribution, SoftNET, TASK (Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge-Hub, T-Fiber, KCR nutrition kit, Mana ooru-Mana badi school infrastructure scheme, Dalit Bandhu Rs 10 lakh to Dalit families, Dharani (integrated Land Records Management system), Kanti Velugu providing eye test and reading glasses added to his successful kitty.

KCR is now not only showcasing his statehood achievement in the decennial celebrations but also successful strides in various sectors in the past 10 years.

Flashback T movement

A look back on KCR’s T-movement days, achieving Statehood, CM, and national ambition leaves the opposition with envy.

Unlike other movements for statehood in the country, the KCR approach was unique in many ways in achieving Telangana State. And he was successful since it was mostly non-violent, unlike the 1969 agitation during Congress rule, which led to the death of 369 people including students in police firing and a quick end to the movement led by Dr Marri Channa Reddy, who later became Governor.

Telangana movement was brewing in Nizam’s Hyderabad State, Madras State, and Andhra Pradesh in different forms.

Discrimination led to T-movements

In combined Andhra Pradesh, it was due to non-implementation of the Gentlemen’s agreement by the Centre, discrimination in government jobs, education, public spending, political posts, etc. Telangana culture was different from Andhra and other surrounding regions.

In 1952 and 1969, there was a students’ stir against non Mulkis (Mulki meaning locals). The agitation arose after many jobs were taken by people from coastal Andhra. Non-Mulki go back and Idli Sambar go back were the slogans. During the protests seven students were killed in police firing. Some say the Mulki Movement started in 1927.

KCR quits Deputy Speaker’s post

K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was Transport minister in Chandrababu Naidu cabinet in 1996, and backed the Naidu coup against NTR, was dropped and made Deputy Speaker.

Irked at the maltreatment, he quit the Deputy Speaker post and decided to revive the Telangana movement and held a series of consultations.

TRS is born

He finally formed Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in 2001 under the guidance of Prof Kothapalli Jayashankar (1934-2011), had once walked out of his class against State reorganization in 1952 and participated in Mulki agitation.

Shrewd KCR preferred a non-violent and political lobbying method to achieve Statehood.

Filmy touch!

KCR’s non-violent agitation was unique in many ways. Forming Joint Action Committee (JAC) headed by Prof Kodanda Ram since other political parties were not keen on agitation being led by his TRS party, he launched a series of agitations with all sections of people including government employees like “Vanta varpu” (cooking on roads), Sagara Haram, Million March, songs like “Asaidula harathi”, films like “Jai Bolo Telangana”, Telangana art, culture, music, cuisine, literature, etc to win over people in the struggle for separate Telangana.

Telangana lingo!

He used Telangana lingo/slang, and Hyderabadi slang effectively to drive home the point of the injustice done to Telangana people at all the public meetings. He floored people, but in the process hurt the sentiments of the people of the Andhra region (who also started the united AP movement) so much so that they were disgusted at the vicious attack and finally succumbed to his pressure from all sides.

Rao started his newspaper “Namasthe Telangana” and a TV channel “T News” which he used effectively to communicate with Telangana people and the need for separate Telangana, self-rule and not live at the mercy of Andhra rulers.

Besides politicians and political parties, KCR also interacted with a cross-section of people in society including intellectuals, scientists, journalists, technocrats, etc, and explained his goals and sought their help in providing “Bangaru Telangana” to people.

2 BHK

This author attended some of the meetings since 2001 including a road map for Telangana, schemes to be launched including 2 BHK for the poor, etc. YSR started a 1 BHK house scheme and KCR made it 2 BHK. The scheme is a big hit.

While everyone was skeptical about achieving Statehood, KCR was confident. It cost the lives of 1000 odd youth and others. Some youth immolated publicly like Srikanta Chary and others, including one on the Osmania University campus, which shook the conscience of people, especially the Congress State and Central governments.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi moved at the plight of young students immolating themselves in full public view and gave a go-ahead signal for the formation of Telangana State, despite Opposition from her party leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions.

“We promised them and we should give it. I don’t want to see children immolating themselves,” Dr K V P Ramachandra Rao, a close aide of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy revealed this to the author during the peak of the Telangana movement.

KCR crisscrossed the length and breadth of the country, met various political leaders, told Sonia Gandhi he has no ambition, promised to merge his party with Congress, and played every trick in political trade to achieve his goal.

105 seats target in 2023

T-movement over, T-State formed and KCR holding the reigns of State for a decade, the Chief Minister has now set his eyes for a third successive term in office with a target of 105 seats!

With a rejuvenated Congress due to the party’s big win in neighboring Karnataka against BJP and BJP’s look South goal of winning southern states, KCR is going bonkers over the decennial celebrations.

He has planned grand 3-week decennial celebrations to showcase his achievements, and developments in various spheres along with his son and IT and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao.

Mega festivities

Back to the new BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, the Chief Minister wants mega festivities to showcase the fruits yielded by nine years of ‘splendid development plans’ and recognize the ‘glorious past’ of the State.

Rapid strides made by the State in the nine years of self-rule have disproved all those predicted doom and disaster in the State, the big turnaround in key sectors such as electricity, agriculture, and irrigation were a positive lesson for the country as a whole, he said.

“Today, people are enjoying the fruits of self-governance. The progress of Telangana over the last 10 years should be celebrated with the participation of the people of every village. Telangana struggled a lot due to power cuts in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Today, the power sector in Telangana is strengthened and shining brightly. Power outages and neglected power supply networks are now a matter of the past. We are providing uninterrupted 24-hour electricity to the farmers for free. All this is not possible without much effort. These things should be explained to people,” KCR remarked.

He recalled that the careless attitude of the previous rulers, inverters, and converters were seen everywhere in Telangana!