That's Politics; and perhaps that's how the Life too is ::: All eyes are on Telangana poll outcome... Rajiv once hurt 'Telugu pride' and today in circa 2023 ....voters might accept his son Rahul

 

Poet T S Eliot may not be in fashion these days. He had spoken about the importance of 'friendship' and finding joy even in the smallest things. And if one looks at the world from a new perspective even a flower can become a bountiful garden !! In politics the game might change. One small episode or figure can often kickstart a major political upheaval. It takes years to do the correction and regain the lost ground. 

Well, that's Politics; and perhaps that's how the Life too is. A lot about Telugu politics and now linked to two states - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have to do with Congress party and its leaders. In 2013, the Congress mishandling cost it dearly as two Deccan region provinces virtually revolted against India's grand old party. The Congress suffered miserably at the national level in 2014 and also in 2019 parliamentary polls. 

But will the game change this time? All eyes are on Telangana poll outcome, will Congress return to heydays in Hyderabad?  

Exit polls indicate Congress winning Telangana and humbling of BRS and its leader K Chandrasekhar Rao !! 

It is worth recall that Rajiv Gandhi's public snubbing to then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister T Anjaiah in 1982 later 'proved costly' to the Congress in the state.  Rajiv was then just a son of powerful PM Indira Gandhi and a Congress general secretary. The episode had kickstarted the debates on Telugu pride and heralded the emergence of regional politics and also brought in TDP and its founder N T Rama Rao from the film world to the political battlefield. 

In the 1983 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, TDP, founded by NTR, won by an absolute majority winning 202 out of the 294 seats. NTR himself winning both the seats he contested Tirupati and Gudivada. NTR was sworn in as the 10th and the first non-Congress Chief Minister of the state on January 9, 1983.

A few years later, he and the likes of Devi Lal and Chandrasekhar had sown the seed of anti-Congress politics and by 1988-89, NTR was the chairman of the National Front, India's first coalition which came to power in Delhi under the leadership of V P Singh. 

DMK in Tamil Nadu and NPF (earlier name UDF) in Nagaland could be first two regional parties in the country, but the politics of anti-Congressism had its origin from the political battlefields of Andhra Pradesh.

In fact, it all started once the words spread that Rajiv Gandhi (Indira amma's son) had insulted Telugu pride. Rajiv had actually provoked 'Telugu atmagauravam' or Telugu self-respect when he pulled up a Congress chief minister and a Congress veteran T Anjaiah. 

The story goes like this, Anjaiah organised a pompous reception for Rajiv in February 1982. 

But reportedly Rajiv Gandhi was irked by the unnecessary display and he chastised Anjaiah, labeling him a "buffoon" (India Today).

"If there is no order and the whole thing is not over in 15 minutes, I will go back," Rajiv Gandhi is said to have told Anjaiah. This episoide ultimately led to sacking of Anjaiah as the Chief Minister. 

"The sheepish Anjaiah was on the verge of tears as Rajiv Gandhi walked into the terminal building refusing to accept the garlands and bouquets and booked himself a seat on the next flight to Delhi," says 'India Today'.  

Quickly things started falling...  

"moved by the humiliation" meted out to the Chief Minister. NTR announced entry into politics and founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). 

Many years later in 2016, I was in Tirupati for a TDP convention and therein senior TDP leaders told us and the party cadres that 'Congress mukt' politics actually had started under the aegis of NTR. Of course, in 1989 assembly polls, NTR was humbled and he had resigned but by then the bigger goal was achieved - the Congress was ousted from the Delhi throne. 

And kindly note, since then though Congress came to power in 1991 under P V Narasimha Rao and 2004 under Manmohan Singh; but the 'dynasty' had remained out of the PM's official residence.

Rajiv Gandhi with  T Anjaiah (left) 

 

Now....2013-2014 .....

A delegation of Congress ministers, MPs and MLAs from Seemandhra region of united Andhra Pradesh met President Pranab Mukherjee in October 2013 and sought his intervention on the Telangana issue amid reports that the Centre under Manmohan Singh may go ahead with formation of the state without a resolution from the Assembly.

The 30-member delegation met Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum.

Andhra leaders said no state in India is formed against the resolution of the state. 

"Former Home Minister P Chidambaram, in 2009, had stated that the process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated with an appropriate resolution will be moved in the state assembly," one minister said.  

The political damage was done and Congress performed miserably in Andhra as well as newly created Telangana in 2014 parliamentary polls. In 2009 assembly polls, united Andhra had given Congress as many as 33 seats. 

The fact of the matter was results were a repeat of the 2004 polls, where the Indian National Congress and AIMIM won 34 out of 42 seats, resulting in a landslide victory. The popularity of then Congress Chief Minister Rajasekhar Reddy earned him a landslide victory in the national election and winning his re-election, in the state election.  

TRS under K Chandrashekhar Rao had won only 2 seats and TDP only 6.  

There is a TRS vis-a-vis KCR story too.  

In 1983, even NTR's son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu (now TDP supremo) contested the Assembly election on a Congress ticket but lost.

Later Naidu joined TDP and slowly emerged the chief player and in fact marginalised NTR himself. 

Naidu was sworn in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in 1995 after his successful coup against NTR. 

Naidu gave K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR a Cabinet berth, but after winning the election in 1999, Naidu denied KCR a Cabinet berth and made him deputy Speaker of the Andhra Assembly. 

Frustrated KCR quit the TDP and launched the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in 2001, which fought for a separate Telangana state and as the statehood came in 2014, it was natural for him to reap the dividends.

KCR's children: Kavitha and KTR 

KCR..... awaiting Dec 3, 2023 mandate