KCR giving sleepless nights to Naidu

Hyderabad: It is a complete role reversal for both the Telugu Desam and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. In 2009 there was a huge exodus of rank and file from the TRS. There was talk of even several big leaders joining the Congress in the presence of the then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

The TDP hoped then that Rajasekhara Reddy would cause much damage to the TRS and as it would emerge a strong force again in Telangana. Much water has flown under the bridge since then.

Now, TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao is in an unassailable position, giving sleepless nights to his onetime friend Chandrababu Naidu.

'It does not matter if one or two leaders leave the party. The cadre is with us,' this is the oft repeated assertion by Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu whenever a big leader has quit the party.

The stark reality is that those leaving the party in the state are not just 'one or two'. It had been an exodus ever since the PRP was launched by Chiranjeevi.

The problem is more so in the Telangana region. After the 2009 elections the exodus was of so much proportions that it became a headache to Naidu, his bold assertions that those quit could cause little damage to the party notwithstanding.

During the height of the Telangana struggle, seven MLAs from the region quit the party and three of them joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Besides these, several other big leaders and villagelevel cadre also deserted the main opposition party. According to the grapevine, some more MLAs are veering towards the separaist party.

Ironically, in Telangana, though the TDP is losing its leaders more, it is able to retain its cadre which is stronger than that in the Seemandhra region.

With seven MLAs quitting the party, the strength of TDP MLAs from Telangana has come down from 39 to 32.

'It is major twister in Telangana. We have to lie down till the T twister settles down. Then, we will raise our heads again and show our strength,' a TDP MLA said while admitting the party was in a helpless situation in the region right now.

Two years in politics is not a long period. But after the 2009 Assembly elections, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) faced a major crisis. Several leaders and cadre quit the party to join the TDP or the Congress.

Now, the TRS is virtually sitting pretty. Not only has it no fear of any exodus from its ranks, it does not also feel the need to poach TDP leaders. The TDP MLAs are, on their own, quietly descending on Telangana Bhavan and to shed their yellow hue in favour of pink.

In 2009 the TRS chief was struggling hard to strengthen the party after it had failed to win the expected number of seats in the Assembly elections. The TRS won just 10 Assembly seats. YS Rajasekhara Reddy foiled KCR's plans and started poaching TRS MLAs and leaders.

Several leaders including district TRS presidents B Somi Reddy, NM Srinivasa Reddy, Jitta Balakrishna Reddy and Neela Padma were lured into the Congress.

After Union home minister Chidambaram's first statement on Telangana, the T sentiment penetrated deeper into villages and among weaker sections.

Now, a large number of TDP leaders, vexed with the twoeye theory of their party chief, are making a beeline for the TRS so that they can visit their homes or the constituencies without fear.