KTR’s Amaravati remarks spark political attention

TRS leader and Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao tried to draw the attention of public in Andhra Pradesh by making a mention of Amaravati his speech. Recently, at a meeting, he lambasted the BJP for not sanctioning at least Rs 100 towards the development of Yadadri temple or Amaravati. The BJP at the Centre cannot grant at least some soil or a tumbler of water for Amaravati, he criticized.

He said that the BJP claims that it strives for the protection of the country and dharma but in fact, does very little. Is it you people who speak of Hindutva, he asked. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sanctioned many welfare schemes for Telangana but none of them had really benefited the people. Now, the BJP leaders are doing rounds of every household and asking for votes.” He said that people would not believe in such people.

The remarks on Amaravati were done after a lot of thinking, feel political observers. KTR could be eyeing to secure the votes of Andhra people in the upcoming Munugode bypoll.  At the same time, he could be trying to get the votes of settlers in Telangana by making such sympathetic comments on Amaravati. Else, KTR never responded even when the Amaravati farmers braved lathicharge by the police last year. The farmers had been protesting against the YCP government’s proposal of 3-capital formula for more than 1,000 days but never was there any remark about Amaravati, either from KTR or his father and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrsekhar Rao, they pointed out.

Instead, KTR is known for trying to find faults in Andhra Pradesh. At the beginning of this year, during Sankranti festival, he created a political furore by pointing out at the bad condition of roads in the neighbouring Telugu state.