HYDERABAD: The buzz around ‘KTR as future CM’ began gaining momentum within BRS circles after IT minister K.T. Rama Rao replied to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address in the Legislative Assembly on Saturday in the absence of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, contrary to the tradition of the Chief Minister replying to the debate.
Ministers and ruling party MLAs made a beeline to meet and congratulate Rama Rao after he completed his marathon two-hour reply tearing into Opposition parties with facts and figures on the achievements of the BRS government in the last eight-and-a-half years and highlighting the failures of the BJP-led government at the Centre during the same period.
Known for his oratory in English, Hindi and Telugu, Rama Rao's razor-sharp sarcasm, especially with regard to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was on full display and in three languages.
Chandrashekar Rao had replied to the debate on motion of thanks to the Governor's address every year except in 2022, when the Budget Session commenced without the customary Governor's address.
But it was an altogether different atmosphere in the House on Saturday when the House debated the motion of thanks to the Governor's address. While the Chief Minister stayed away, Rama Rao was present from 10 am to 3.30 pm, when the debate ended.
Armed with statistics from the RBI, Niti Aayog, United Nations, awards given by Centre and news clippings acknowledging the growth of Telangana across sectors, the minister displayed them to substantiate his arguments and claims on ‘Telangana model’ of welfare schemes and development programmes.
With Chandrashekar Rao keeping himself occupied with national politics and expansion of BRS to other states ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BRS circles believe that he has been sending across clear signals that heir-apparent Rama Rao will be the next Chief Minister if the BRS retains power for the third term.
It is for this reason that he gave a chance to Rama Rao to reply to the debate on the Governor's address, BRS circles claimed.
