Hyderabad: TRS chief and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is preparing to hand over the reins to his son and caretaker IT minister K.T. Rao if the TRS retains power in the Assembly elections. Government watchers say the actions of Mr Rama Rao in the party and government affairs indicate this. Mr Rama Rao plays the role Mr Chandrasekhar Rao did in attacking opposition parties and intervening to resolve dissidence in the party.
The latest statement of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao’s nephew and irrigation minister T. Harish Rao is also indicative of this intent. Mr Harish Rao said he is ready to work in Mr Rama Rao’s cabinet. There is a lot of pressure on Mr Chandrasekhar Rao from party MLAs and other leaders to make KTR Chief Minister. Moreover, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao recently announced that after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections he will play a key role in national politics. Shortly thereafter, Mr Rama Rao became more active in party and government affairs. He played a key role in conducting the recent Pragathi Nivedana Sabha at Kongarakalan.
In the last year when BJP president Amit Shah visited Telangana he made serious allegations about the Telangana government and releasing funds to TS by the central government. The CM had reacted strongly to these comments, saying that Mr Shah was lying and indulging in petty politics. Two days ago when Mr Shah again visited Hyderabad, it was Mr Rama Rao who reacted strongly to his adverse comments on the government and made counter claims.
In the recent Kondagattu bus accident where 62 people died, it was Mr Rama Rao who visited the accident site and consoled the families of the victims. What is not clear is whether Mr Rama Rao will be made CM after the assembly elections (if the party retains power) or after the next Lok Sabha elections which are likely to be held in April 2019. If the CM is serious about entering national politics, he may wait till the Lok Sabha elections, observe the political developments in Delhi, and then decide whether to move on and make his son Chief Minister of TS.
