Karimnagar: TRS unleashes publicity blitzkrieg to take wind out of Eatala's sails

Karimnagar: The ruling TRS leaders in the Huzurabad Assembly constituency seem to be on overdrive with former Minister and BJP leader Eatala Rajender's padayatra in the constituency.

Though the saffron party leaders of the constituency have put up flexis, banners and other publicity material all along the way of Eatala's padayatra welcoming him, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi went a step further and erected similar flexis and banners next to the BJP banners.

According to BJP State general secretary G Premender Reddy and party spokesperson A Rakesh Reddy, the party cadre had put up flex banners and BJP party flags and at certain points, they even erected temporary arches with banners of Eatala, State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other prominent saffron party leaders from the State.

However, the local TRS leaders have arrived with men and material and in the presence of local police, they put up banners right next to the temporary tent erected near the local Anjaneya Swamy temple in the Battenivanipalli, the place where Eatala kick-started his yatra.

The TRS men have put up banners with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, IT Minister and party working president K T Rama Rao besides one prominent MLA from the neighbouring assembly constituency adorning them. One of the TRS leaders, Rama Krishna, speaking to The Hans India said, "Everyone here knows that Eatala was so far synonymous with TRS.

But, now we want to show the electorate that he doesn't belong to our party anymore and also to show our strength when the former Minister takes out the yatra to woo the voters."

However, with so many BJP and TRS flags side-by-side, Avinash Kumar, a resident from Hyderabad, quipped, "The pink campaign unleashed in the name of Tholi Ekadasi greetings looks like both BJP and TRS are fielding Eatala as their joint candidate for the ensuing bypoll."