Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is the tallest leader in Telangana currently. He played an instrumental role in the struggle for Telangana’s statehood since 2001 – when he floated the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Since the formation of the state, KCR has been the chief minister of Telangana, and his authority and grip over the politics of the state has remained unquestioned. However – KCR’s influence is beginning to wane. He is losing his bastions to an emerging political force in Telangana, which is the BJP. Here on, the going is bound to get very tough for KCR.
Only recently, the saffron camp in Telangana has received a shot in the arm. Eatala Rajender – known to be among the senior most leaders of the pink party, quit the TRS on Friday and also resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly. In early May, Rajender was dropped by KCR as the state health minister following allegations of land encroachment being levelled against him.
While there had been reports of a fissure between KCR and Rajender for more than three years, the TRS chief took everyone by surprise by ordering a probe against him after a group of farmers from Medak district complained that Rajender grabbed their lands for a poultry unit owned by his family, IANS reported.
In the past, Eatala Rajender has not shied away from calling out KCR and his governance. The BJP, even before the entry of Rajender into the saffron camp, was faring very well in Telangana. Now, with him in its fold, the BJP’s rise in the state will only be further propelled. The party has proven its mettle in Telangana with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, in which the BJP was able to emerge as the second-largest player on a turf where it was considered a negligible force until recently.
By winning 48 of the GHMC’s 150 wards, and coming very close to TRS’ tally of 55 – the BJP established itself as an immediate force to be reckoned with. KCR has been having a tough time ever since, especially because the BJP’s spectacular performance in Hyderabad came in the backdrop of its wresting the all-important Dubbak Assembly seat from the TRS.
The addition of Eatala Rajender was perhaps the only push needed by the saffron party to turn the tables on the TRS and its supremo. With Eatala coming aboard, BJP will soon make its hold in the state even stronger as the former minister has worked closely with KCR and knows the ground level politics of the state.
Also, when one compares this with Suvendu Adhikari’s case, who ahead of the recently concluded West Bengal polls joined the BJP; much like Mamata, Rajender’s rise in the BJP will certainly give sleepless nights to chief minister KCR. The politics of Telangana is set to be radically changed with the fast-paced developments being seen in the state.