Electoral losses keep TRS leaders on edge

Hyderabad: Successive defeats in the elections seem to have made the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders restless with many seen making controversial statements and also threatening the journalists.

It can be recalled that the TRS has put up a poor show in Dubbaka bypoll and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections. While the TRS got defeated with a slender margin in Dubbaka, the BJP gave a shock to the ruling party in the GHMC elections. As a result, party leaders have been facing embarrassment and have been venting out their frustration.

Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao, during his visit to Warangal recently, made controversial comments stating that the people of Warangal were smarter than citizens of Hyderabad and would vote for TRS for the development to continue. Not only the Minister, other leaders of the pink party were also seen making controversial comments besides threatening the journalists.

In this regard, A TRS party leader's outburst on the journalists has gone viral on various social media platforms. In the audio conversation between Patencheru MLA G Mahipal Reddy and a journalist that went viral on social media, the MLA was heard threatening the reporter of a physical attack if he wrote anything against him.

Similarly, another leader of the party in Dubbaka threatened a journalist for forwarding the video conversation of the Patancheru MLA. "We might have lost the elections, but we will be in power for next three years. Keep this in mind before writing against us," stated the leader in the video, daring the journalist to file a police complaint against him.

Even before the elections too, there were heated arguments between MLA R Balkishan and one P Rajashekar Reddy. The MLA was heard using unparliamentary language against the individual for writing against him on the social media.

Meanwhile, the political analysts feel that threatening would not fetch votes for the party and added that there was a need for Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to keep an eye on this and set the things right. The party might make changes at the organisation level and entrust responsibilities to certain leaders after December, said a source from the party.