TRS taking recourse to vindictive politics?

Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated to honour the elephant-headed God Ganesha. With election season on, parties would count on blessings of the Remover of Obstacles for smooth launch of their intensive poll campaign in days to come.

TRS has just pushed Telangana into election mode by dissolving Assembly and announcing names of 105 candidates. The opposition parties which are caught unawares are yet to fully comprehend the situation, sew up alliances and put up a stiff fight for the ruling party. Hopes are being pinned on Mahakutami to gain a level-playing ground vis-à-vis TRS and efforts are apace.

If current developments are any indication, TRS and Congress are going to rake up T sentiment. Congress will harp on how Sonia Gandhi had taken a calculated risk in carving out separate T State, knowing fully well that it would lose the elections in AP. It will bring to notice of electorate how KCR praised Sonia Gandhi to skies and the way he went back on his promise to merge TRS with Congress. The backroom boys of Congress are busy digging out the statements made by KCR on Sonia Gandhi in 2014. TPCC is very keen to cobble up the Mahakutami with like-minded parties like TDP, TJS, CPI and others.

TRS, on the other hand, is faced with heat from the rebels who are vowing to defeat official candidates. Some of those who had switched loyalties from Congress and TDP are now contemplating Ghar Wapsi. So far, TRS top brass appears to have failed to win over them. But, it exudes optimism that the T sentiment would undo damage from the rebels.

Already, it has unleashed an attack that Congress which once created hurdles in development of Telangana state is entering into unholy alliance with ‘Thoka’ (tail) parties like TDP which came into existence on anti-Congress plank. It contends that T Congress leaders who did not join the T stir but stuck to power and tried to sabotage agitation have no right to come back to power.

It warns people to choose between a vibrant Telangana and a scam-riddled Telangana. It is likely that KCR on a whirlwind tour of the state will use all his oratorial skills to turn the tables on the opposition. TRS’ harping on T sentiment partly reflects its nervousness in face of some anti-incumbency which, if not addressed deftly, could upset its plans. Perhaps, this explains digging up old forgotten cases against its rivals from Congress party and initiating legal action against them.

This is the feeling that is gaining ground among the public after the arrest of Jagga Reddy and registering cases over alleged involvement of A Revanth Reddy in allocation of plots in a housing society case, which is again very old. The stock reaction of TRS leaders that law is taking its own course does not gel well when the state is already in poll mode. If the opposition succeeds in exploiting these issues and if they can send a message across that they are becoming victims of vindictive politics, it could deal a blow to TRS at least in a few constituencies.