KCR’s scorching pace confounds Congress

The war of nerves is on. KCR has taken the first step. The public meeting in the name of presenting state's progress report to people at Kongara Kalan on Sunday had delivered a surprise element on the Congress – the numbers. Lakhs of people arrived in every conceivable mode of transport, unnerving the Congress.

The entire exercise that preceded the public meeting and the way it was conducted was only to break the morale of the principal opposition Congress which has been allowing itself the luxury of the first stirrings of hope of coming to power after the recent visit of the party supremo Rahul Gandhi to the state. KCR tried to send a message that he had already won the battle and that the Congress leaders would have to spend rest of their time nursing their defeat- inflicted wounds.

Though the Congress tried to take the sting out of the public meeting, contending that KCR was misusing official machinery, the effort seemed very feeble. In the mass hysteria generated for the public meeting, there seemed to be none to listen to the Congress leaders or notice their attempts to make the public meeting appear as a matter of no consequence. Their cry appeared to be one in the wilderness.

In political warfare, there is none to beat KCR. His brain is always as sharp as a razor, quickly grabbing an opportunity when it presents itself to him or being able to look into future and come to a reasonable assessment of how things would pan out for actions that he initiates in the present.  

If he is going in for early elections to the state Assembly, it is because he believes that now is better than later. As the elections to four north Indian states are scheduled for December he wants to take advantage of the situation and make necessary moves so that the Election Commission would club Telangana polls with them.

What surprises one is the speed with which KCR is moving, leaving the others in the race behind him, panting.  The way he plays down anti- incumbency factor as though it does not exist, makes people wonder if it is there at all. He has already gone on record saying that except for a few, all sitting MLAs would be re-nominated in the elections. His daughter and Nizamabad MP K Kavitha has recently described Congress as one party which is very far behind the TRS in the race to capture power in the state.

She had said KCR was too shrewd a politician to be outwitted. Even before he crosses the Rubicon and dissolve the Assembly, he had made all the preparations. He made use of his rapport with Prime Minister to get Presidential assent for zonal system which is expected to be game-changer for the TRS. The new zonal system would enable equitable distribution of employment opportunities to the unemployed youth in all the districts by providing a level playing field.

A not- so-bright unemployed youth in Adilabad now does not have to compete with, say, a meritorious Warangal student for a job in Adilabad under the new dispensation. This way a level playing field has been created for the job seekers with the new zonal system where there seven zones and two multi-zones. As soon as the zonal system had the president’s seal, KCR had a notification issued for appointment of over 9,000 panchayat secretaries and more jobs are likely to be announced as the same system would be in force for jobs outsourced.

Juxtaposed to the TRS preparedness for the election is the Congress which is faction-ridden. The party is exhibiting the same symptoms it did while preparing for the 2014 elections. The Congress leaders then had thought that since it was their party which delivered Telangana, victory at the elections was a fait accompli.

Each one of them began lobbying with the Centre to consider him for the post of the chief minister for the new state, oblivious of the fact that KCR was working overtime in turning the tide of the people's opinion in his favour.

Though it was true that the people had some respect for the Congress, they had a very high regard for KCR for leading the battle against the Congress and getting what they wanted. KCR's fight for Telangana made him a leader while Congress leaders’ ambitions to grab the gaddi even before winning the elections, presented a disgusting picture. When the election was over, KCR walked away with the cake.

Despite Rahul Gandhi's advice to the leaders to bury the hatchet, they continue to work at cross purposes with the objectives of the party. Recently former minister DK Aruna made no secret of her displeasure at a media conference over the move of the high command to field former Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy for Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha seat.

She had made it clear that she wants a BC leader to be the candidate for the seat all because she does not want Jaipal Reddy who has national stature to call shots in Mahabubnagar district, which she fears, would diminish her influence in the district.

Then ever since A Revanth Reddy was taken into the Congress from Telugu Desam party, he was being treated as a persona non grata by his Congress colleagues fearing that he might be a threat to their aspirations to become the chief minister. All the native Congress leaders had joined hands to isolate Revanth Reddy despite differences among them to checkmate him.

The reports that the Congress high-command wants to appoint to two more working presidents for the Telangana Congress Committee only proves the point that the leaders at the state level are more interested in positions of power rather than joining shoulders in helping the party win the elections. 

If the Congress leaders refuse to learn any lessons from 2014, the party may not be able to come within any distance to staking claim to power in Telangana. It should watch out how the people would react if it strikes an alliance with TDP against whom Telangana agitation was fought, If the Congress repeats its mistakes, it would be KCR who would have the last laugh.