CM KCR deputes KTR to pacify dissidents

​Hyderabad: With some of the party leaders refusing to calm down in various constituencies and planning to contest as rebels, TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao has entrusted the job of pacifying the dissidents to Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, who is calling the leaders and making them fall in line.

The ruling party has been facing the rebel trouble before the elections. While some of the leaders have left the party, some others are planning to contest as rebel candidates in their respective constituencies. The party leadership has entrusted the job of pacifying the candidates to KTR, who has been making the leaders to support the party’s official candidates. Rama Rao on Monday called Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari to Pragathi Bhavan in wake of the tussle between him and the party candidate T Rajaiah.

In Station Ghanpur in Warangal district, the sitting MLA T Rajaiah is campaigning on one hand and on the other hand, the followers of Srihari were demanding ticket to their leader. The leaders of seven mandals in the constituency said that they would resign if the candidate was not changed.

It is also learnt that Srihari has asked the leaders to support the party’s candidate as the decision was taken by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. “Support the party candidate and if you don’t want to support then you are free to leave the party,” is what Srihari has told the party leaders in the district after meeting Rama Rao. There were rumours that Srihari was also looking to change party. However, the minister said that he would be supporting the party’s candidate.

According to party leaders, Rama Rao cautioned Uppal candidate B Subhash Reddy and asked him to take the local leaders while campaigning. The local leaders have complained to the minister that Subhash Reddy was not taking them along with him. “Now that you are candidate, you have to take all the leaders along with you. Take the support of Ram Mohan and B Laxma Reddy,” said the minister. Sources said that the minister had spoken to Maloth Kavitha, who was expecting ticket from Mahabubabad.

The party has given ticket to sitting MLA Shankar Naik. The minister has asked Kavitha to support the party’s candidates and assured that they would get importance in future. The minister has called the city leaders also since there are many aspirants for the ticket. The party is yet to announce tickets in some constituencies represented by the BJP. The minister called and talked to Vijaya Reddy, Corporator and daughter of former Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy. He has also called and pacified the corporators in Jubilee Hills constituency, where some of them had threatened to defeat the official candidate.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister was also unhappy with the dissidents not listening to the assurances and wanted the leaders to fall in line once his campaign starts. The Chief Minister is slated to address a series of public meetings from Wednesday. He would first address meeting in Nizamabad on October 3, Nalgonda on October 4, Wanaparthy on October 5, Warangal on October 7 and Khammam on October 8.