KAKINADA: The admirers of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, in Andhra Pradesh, are preparing the ground for the grand entry of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). There are several followers of Mr Rao in AP who would happily welcome the TRS in Andhra Pradesh politics. As a means to facilitate this, TRS supporters in AP are planning to invite the TRS Working President Mr K.T. Rama Rao during the three-day Sankranti festival, to participate in the grand cockfights that are being organised across the State, albeit illegally.
According to sources, after the successful elections in Telangana and the defeat of Telugu Desam and Congress alliance in the TS, the possible entry of TRS in AP has become a hot topic.
Cockfights are famous in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Godavari and Krishna districts as well as in Guntur and Prakasam with political leaders as active organisers who are also rated by the voters for their ability to organise a cockfight on the face of the event being barred by the Supreme Court.
The cockfight culture had started from the time when AP was ruled by the Kshatriyas and Velamas. These two communities encouraged cockfights and took great pride in the wins. When elections were being held in Telangana, some flex banners greeting TRS leader Mr K.T. Rama Rao had been erected in Bhimavaram of West Godavari district. “A team from East and West Godavari districts will meet Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Mr K.T. Rama Rao and Mr Harish Rao to invite them to participate in the cockfights to indicate their entry in AP politics. We will not do the cockfights with knives or betting, but purely for entertainment, so there will be no question of deviating from court orders that had said no to betting in cockfights,” said KCR Foundation president Dusarlapudi Ramana Raju. He has already met Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr K.T. Rama Rao on Friday and invited them to AP politics by visiting Annavaram Lord Satyadeva temple and also Godavari districts.
Mr Ramana Raju said that a team consisting of Mr Fakir in agency area, Mr Nagasuryanarayana of West Godavari and others would meet the TRS leaders again and invite them for the Sankranti festival. He said that already Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao was planning to enter AP politics to develop the Federal Front in the interest of the country.
Meanwhile sources said that already many of the prize cocks are being grown in Telangana area due to availability of sufficient ground for its rearing and also non-harassment by the police during the rearing period of the cocks.
The organisers of cockfights are happy with the move of KCR followers as they would also gain from it. With court orders making it difficult for them to organise cockfights, they feel that with the involvement of politicians it would be easier for them to tweak the system.
