The first indication and excitement of a “national tour” of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) came from NDTV’s local editor. Many analysts brushed it aside for two reasons – One, NDTV is often excited when it comes to KCR & his family. And two, KCR has done “national tours” before. You might be thinking that “national tour” means that he will tour multiple states one after the other and meet his political friends there. You are mistaken.
KCR’s “national tours” are always staggered; often to the same states because he only meets leaders from non-BJP parties; and often with the same issue – formation of an alternative front to BJP and Congress. To this end, “Desh ka Neta KCR” posters keep propping up in different parts of the country, often by someone called “Telangana Sai”! Also, we are often not told the duration of the “tour”. We know when KCR will leave but at that point of time we will not know when he will go back or what his full agenda is.
The last time he was in Delhi, the Telugu media was abuzz with how he is going to camp in Delhi till he “bends the neck” of the central government and make them procure paddy directly from the farmers in Telangana. While his ministers were trying to “bend the neck” of the central government, he also got an operation done on his tooth (people back home wondered why in Delhi when Hyderabad has world class medical facilities too!) and didn’t appear in public for a couple of days. He then sat on a dharna against the central government and the only “leader” who visited him that day was Rakesh Tikait, who has been expelled from Bharatiya Kisan Union for playing politics! None of his other friends from all those parties he keeps seeking support from, bothered to even turn up at this dharna.
The first stop in this leg of the “national tour” was again Delhi. He met Akhilesh Yadav in Delhi. The TRS cadre told us that this is the most significant meeting ever because KCR is meeting the leader who was responsible for reducing the seats of BJP in UP. If you didn’t know better, you would actually think that BJP lost in UP because of Akhilesh Yadav! And then came the most intriguing picture of all time – KCR met with Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy.
While the entire excitement of NDTV made a lot of sense now, it was really baffling as to why a sitting Chief Minister of a state would go to Delhi and meet the owner of a news channel whose viewership has been on perpetual decline? Just about a month ago, NDTV ran a 30-minute program on “Telangana – A phoenix rises” without telling the viewer that the Telangana government paid for the program. The choice of the phrase – “In partnership” – is also intriguing. NDTV isn’t telling you that they are paid for it, but they actually partnered and worked with the Telangana government to prepare this program!
Many wondered back then also as to why KCR is investing money into NDTV; many are wondering now why KCR is investing time into NDTV too! The only logical explanation available so far is that these sudden overtures to NDTV are happening after KCR’s multiple meetings with his “best friend” Prashanth Kishor (PK)!
KCR next met Arvind Kejriwal and as expected they went to a school and a clinic to see “Delhi model” of governance. And then they all left and went to Punjab. Here is where KCR stumped everyone yet again and is also facing a lot of flak back in Telangana. The tour to Punjab was limited to one program – distributing of cheques of Rs. 3,00,000/- to each of the families of the alleged 700 farmers who died during the alleged farmer agitation. KCR instigated the farmers of Punjab to continue agitating
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Farmers of Telangana haven’t heeded to his call for protests when the farm laws were introduced. He did a U-turn and supported the farm laws, in a series of tweets from the Telangana CMO handle. KCR seems to have lost a grip on the needs of the farmers of Telangana but isn’t hesitating to go to Punjab and instigate farmers there for more agitations! It was baffling to folks back in Telangana as to why KCR is distributing cheques in a different state when there are enough issues related to farmers that are bothering his state itself.
After reading all of this, you would assume that this was perhaps a 1 day or a 2 day tour. Turns out that his was a four-day tour. The English media started projecting his return as that of a conquering hero when all he did was to meet Akhilesh Yadav and Prannoy Roy in Delhi; met Kejriwal and his team in Delhi and then went to Punjab – 4 meetings in 4 days, that’s it!
KCR is now back in Hyderabad and scheduled to meet H.D.Deve Gowda and his son H.D.Kumaraswamy tomorrow (May 26th). The date May 26th is important because this is the same date on which the Prime Minister of India is coming to Hyderabad to participate in ISB’s 20th anniversary celebrations. KCR has stopped receiving the PM and meeting him when he comes to Telangana. Last time, he said two people in his house got COVID and so he didn’t come. This time, he will simply say he is not in Hyderabad. For an astute politician like KCR, it is really surprising how he cannot see that the people of Telangana can easily understand which meeting is more important – meeting H.D.Deve Gowda or meeting the Prime Minister of India.
KCR thunders at the Congress but doesn’t hesitate a bit to go and meet parties that are in alliance with the Congress. He once said the nation has to get rid of both BJP and Congress. He slowly modified his ambitions to saying that the present danger to the country is BJP and so he is fighting against BJP only! We haven’t heard a single concrete proposal as a result of all the tours he has done so far in his 2nd tenure. Will we ever hear anything, time only will tell!