Hyderabad: Former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao might not have taken William Shakespeare too seriously on the phrase ‘Beware the Ides of March’, if he did read the Bard of Avon as part of his huge, publicly boasted reading range. One does not even know if heard or ever took into reckoning the fullest import and implication of the reasonably common phrase, ‘how times change.’
Five years ago, around this time, the founder and boss of the pink party, the-then TRS, was on top of his political game – having swept a state Assembly election which he got scheduled ahead of time, and was trying to forge a ‘Federal Front’ to stoke his ambition for playing a crucial role in creating a Central government without involving the two national parties much. He had famously appealed to the people of Telangana for 16 Lok Sabha seats out of 17, with a slogan, ‘saaru, caru, padaharu, Delhi sarkaru.’
Too certain of a win in the Telangana Assembly elections of 2023, he changed the party’s name from TRS to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and decided to directly engage with people in different states – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Odisha – and tried to build partnerships with regional leaders across the country.
The BRS led by Chandrashekar Rao was indeed a force, not just politically but also financially, with rumours that the pink party was willing to bankroll and support all parties willing to challenge both the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
Now, it has been reduced to a farce. In just 100 odd days. Even as recently as 120 days ago, the BRS leaders, with characteristic hubris making their tone and body language, claimed that they would score a hat-trick, and that the party would win over 100 Assembly seats out of 119. They could not even win 40.
With the arrest of K. Kavitha, MLC and daughter of former Chandrashekar Rao, by the Enforcement Directorate, the Ides of March has struck the BRS. Tottering from a defeat at the hands of the Congress led by TPCC chief and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the last score of days has been both frustrating and debilitating for the BRS.
The party has seen a posse of its 39 MLAs rush to the Congress, though they have not yet joined the ruling party. The magic number is 26, which will split the BRS legislative party by thw-third, a legal mandate for their smooth transfer. Its senior leaders, including members of Parliament, are not keen to contest the Lok Sabha elections on its symbol and are busy striking deals with either of the two national parties.
With national dreams having been annihilated in their own backyard, the chance of winning even a single Lok Sabha in serious doubt, the party is hardly able to find candidates. No one from the first family is contesting the Parliamentary polls. Cases are coming and a judicial enquiry has been ordered on high profile projects, including the Kaleshwaram project.
Within no time, the force that was the BRS has now been reduced to a mere political farce, facing existential dilemmas.
How times change! And how the mighty collapse.
Pink leaders hobnobbing with Congress
Congress sources said 15 BRS MLAs are in touch and ready to join anytime if party high command gives approval.
BRS MLAs ready to merge BRSLP with CLP to avoid anti-defection Act
26 MLAs would join BRS at a time after Lok Sabha polls for the purpose.
Legislators
Jan. 24: Four BRS MLAs — Kotha Prabhakar Reddy (Dubbak), V. Sunitha Lakshma Reddy (Narsapur), G. Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru) and K. Manik Rao (Zaheerabad) — meet Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Jan. 29: BRS Rajendranagar MLA T. Prakash Goud meets Revanth Reddy.
March 15: Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender meets Revanth Reddy says he has no plans to join Congress at present, but “can’t say what will happen” in future.
MPs
Feb. 6: BRS Lok Sabha member Venkatesh Netha (Peddapalli) joins Congress.
March 15: BRS Lok Sabha member Pasunuri Dayakar (Warangal) meets Revanth Reddy.
MLCs
Feb. 16: BRS MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife Patnam Sunitha Reddy (ZP chairperson, Vikarabad), join Congress.
March 15: Senior BRS leader and Chairman of Legislative Council Gutha Sukender Reddy tells mediapersons in Nalgonda that his son Gutha Amith Reddy will join Congress. Sukender Reddy said BRS suffers from organisational flaws at the ground level, praises CM Revanth REddy's administration and says people are happy at the performance of the Congress government in the last 100 days.
Feb. 24: BRS former MLA Teegala Krishna Reddy and his daughter-in-law Teegaka Anitha Reddy (ZP chairperson, Rangareddy) meet Revanth Reddy.
Pink leaders hobnobbing with BJP
Feb. 29: BRS Lok Sabha member P. Ramulu (Nagarkurnool) joins BJP
March 1: BRS Lok Sabha member B.B.Patil (Zaheerabad) joins BJP.
March 11: Former BRS MPs Godam Nagesh, Sitaram Naik, former BRS MLAs Saidi Reddy, Jalagam Venkat Rao join BJP
