Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti working president K.T. Rama Rao denied rumours of his becoming the next Chief Minister of Telangana state and said that K. Chandrasekhar Rao will rule for another 10 to 15 years.
During an informal chat with reporters on Wednesday, Mr Rama Rao said that implementing the amended Municipal Act is the biggest challenge for him in 2020.
Referring to speculation that he will soon be Chief Minister, Mr Rama Rao recalled that the Chief Minister during the Budget session, had made it clear on the floor of the Assembly that he would not make his son Chief Minister. “He has the strength and capability to rule the state not only for this term but in the coming term also,” he said.
Cong is still main opponent, says KTR
“I don't understand why this kind of speculation always airs despite the announcement of the Chief Minister from the Assembly,” the party working president said.
Referring to allegations made by the Congress against Hyderabad City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, he felt that they were unfair and that if the TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy had applied for permission to hold a protest at Saroornagar, he might have got the permission.
Mr Rama Rao refused to comment on the statement of the TPCC chief that he would soon quit his post. He said he would not make any comment on the personal decision of Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy. The TRS working president said that the TRS still considered the Congress party as its main opponent.
“The Congress has more than 100 years of history and we cannot take it lightly. BJP state president Dr K. Lakshman is trying to influence Union Ministers not to praise the good work done by the TRS government,” he said. Politics, Mr Rama Rao said, “is like a roller coaster ride. Though we could not reach the expected results in the Lok Sabha, we won 100 per cent of the Zilla Parishads in the state soon after the Lok Sabha polls.” He expects to do likewise in the municipal elections to be held this month.
Referring to the friendship with the AIMIM, he said that “MIM is our friendly party. We have never contested along with the MIM. In the Municipal polls also the TRS and MIM will not contest jointly.”
When questioned about relations with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said that they were still on good terms, and for that matter the TRS always maintains good and cordial relations with its neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. Citing the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement of pumping huge investments into the Infrastructure sector, Mr Rama Rao said that the state government will request the Centre to establish more units in Hyderabad.
He said that the state government is contemplating introducing sea planes in Mid Manair Mallanna Sagar, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and other projects as they are cheaper than airplanes .
Turning to the new Municipal Act, he said, “the new Act enables the elected representatives to extend transparent administration to the people and at the same time it is stringent to act against the elected representatives like counsellors, corporators and chairpersons of civic bodies if they fail to discharge their duties without reference to the party, whether they are from the TRS or the opposition parties. The elected representatives have to face disqualification if they are negligent in discharging their functions.”
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will hold a meeting of party leaders and workers in the second week of this month to give directions for the municipal elections.
