KCR made separate dream possible

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KCR made separate dream possible

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, has made it clear that he carries the mantle of the sole champion of Telangana’s interests.

By P.s. Jayaram

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Published: Sat 17 May 2014, 10:17 PM

Last updated: Fri 3 Apr 2015, 5:52 PM

Following his party’s convincing victory in Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, widely acknowledged as the architect of the separate statehood movement, is all geared up to play a key role in the ‘reconstruction’ of the new Telangana state which comes into existence on June 2.

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, has made it clear that he carries the mantle of the sole champion of Telangana’s interests. For the people of the backward Telangana, he is the folk hero who single-handedly fought the battle to liberate the region from the clutches of “exploitative forces” and realise a long-cherished dream. For the rest of Andhra Pradesh, he is a divisive force and a rabble-rouser who sowed seeds of hatred.

“Like the 12 year Vanavaas of Pandavas, we led the movement for justice for 13 long years despite several odds and obstacles created by powerful forces. We have finally emerged victorious because justice is on our side,” declares KCR, who won from both the Medak Lok Sabha constituency and Gajwel assembly segment. KCR’s domination of the political mosaic in AP in the last few years was such that the very mention of his name evoked extreme responses, depending on the regional loyalty of the people one spoke to. Admiration and hatred flowed in equal measure. However, even his bitter critics would vouch for his mass appeal, persuasive skills and political craft based on pragmatic calculations.

KCR emerged as the powerful symbol of Telangana identity, and succeeded in bringing the statehood issue to the centre stage of national politics, getting almost all the allies of UPA on board and compelling the central leaderships of both Congress and BJP to hurry through the process of passage of the Telangana bill in the parliament.

The TRS chief, with his lean and emaciated look, does not come across at first glance as an ideal candidate to lead a movement that called for upsetting the status quo and rubbing the high and mighty on the wrong side. But, give him a mike and a crowd, this post-graduate in Telugu literature transforms into an orator par excellence, holding the audience in rapt attention with his punchy one-liners and comparative figures to drive home the point that Telangana was a victim of deliberate neglect and exploitation. A poet and an avid fan of old Hindi film songs, KCR makes no bones about his taste for good things in life. His laid-back lifestyle and penchant for escaping from public glare to spend time at his farm house have often evoked derisive response from detractors.

news@khaleejtimes.com


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