TRS blacks out Harish Rao events

Hyderabad: Caretaker irrigation minister T. Harish Rao’s supporters are worried about what seems to be an unofficial ban imposed on their leader by media organisations owned by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

The programmes of Mr Rao are either not being covered or are being played down.

Mr Rao’s recent reference to his  “retirement plans” in his adopted village Ibrahimpur has further triggered speculation that he will be replaced even from his Siddipet Assemb-ly seat, from where TRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao repor-tedly wants to contest.

TRS circles are debating whether Harish Rao is being kicked upstairs and being considered for the Medak Lok Sabha seat during the general election in April, May 2019.

Mr Harish’s supporters point out that his picture last appeared prominently in the party's vernacular media in the first week of September, when he spoke of the arrangements for the Husnabad public meeting addressed by Chief Minister K. Chandrase-khar Rao on September 7. Since then, he has either not been given any coverage or very little. Other MPs and even MLAs, MLCs etc have been given much more coverage.  Mr Harish's supporters are wondering what went wrong.

When Mr Harish talked about “retirement plans” two days ago, it did not figure either in the party's print or electronic media.

The next day, when he clarified that it was only an 'emotional outburst', that too went unreported in the party owned media.

A message on social media that went viral suggesting his replacement from his Siddipet constituency, from where he has won consecutively since 2004, has sent jitters down the spines of his supporters.

The message suggested that the sitting MLAs of Siddipet (Harish Rao), Dubbaka (S Ramalinga Reddy) and Gajwel (KCR) will be replaced.

One possibility is that Mr Rao wants Harish Rao to be shifted to national politics so that there will no rival to his son K.T. Rama Rao, who is expected to be made the next Chief Minister if he (KCR) moves onto the national stage after the 2019 general election.