Hyderabad (11.09.2024): Unlike caste-centric regional parties, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) later rechristened as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gained ground on regional aspirations. It later started nurturing pan-India ambition at least to emerge as king maker at the Centre but it failed miserably. So, is the BRS really in trouble? Will it vanish or bounce back?
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is leaving no stone unturned to finish off the BRS by constituting many commissions of enquiries to probe alleged corruption by the BRS government from 2014 to 2023. The Reddy government also came out with a HYDRA Demolition Project, which primarily looks into the illegal constructions in and around Hyderabad. The Congress even snatched one Rajya Sabha seat from the BRS and nine MLAs switched sides to the Congress.
On the other hand, the BJP has emerged as a big player in Telangana after winning eight out of the 17 LS seats. Now, there is a triangular fight in the state – The Congress, BSR and BJP. But the BJP wants to emerge as a major force replacing both.
The BRS performed reasonably good missing the chance to form the government in December 2023 Assembly polls where it secured 37 seats in the Assembly of 119 members but polled 37 per cent of votes in the last assembly elections, while the Congress got 39 per cent of votes and managed to get 64 seats. But the BRS suffered a huge defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections failing to get any seat.
Now, the BRS is being alleged to be sympathetic towards saffron party. Last month, the BRS was relieved politically when its leader K Kavitha, daughter of K Chandrashekar Rao, was released on bail who is accused in the Delhi liquor scam case.
There is no doubt, that once a strong regional force, the influence of the BRS over people has been vanning now. But its supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao seems to be buying time to hit back at an opportune time. He is not indulging in public discourse. Maybe the BRS wants the CM to complete one year in the office and then open out with something in hands to criticise. There are lots of discontent among the farming community and others that the government is unable to deal with.
(By Vinod Kumar Shukla)
