It is an open secret that senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao has been completely sidelined in the party.
Despite winning the Siddipet seat with a record majority in the December assembly elections and striving hard for the victory of the party in several assembly constituencies, Harish Rao was not given a berth in the cabinet of his uncle and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Even in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Harish Rao was initially asked to stay off from the campaign, but later given responsibility only for Medak, whereas KCR’s son K T Rama Rao, who was made party’s working president, was asked to take care of at least a half a dozen parliamentary constituencies.
What is more insulting to Harish Rao is that he is not being involved in any of the meetings pertaining to Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, though it was Harish who had taken personal care in expediting the project before the assembly elections.
Now, KCR is trying to erase all signs that indicated Harish Rao’s involvement in the project.
The latest report is that many of the Harish Rao’s associates are being denied tickets for MPTC and ZPTC elections, while many other MLAs, including those defected from the Congress are given a free hand in the selection of candidates for the local body elections. This is like rubbing salt to the wounds of Harish Rao.
There are reports that Harish Rao is waiting for an opportunity to strike back. But he has no guts to revolt as long as KCR is alive and continues to hold the key in the state.
If the TRS president moves to Delhi for federal front and makes KTR as the chief minister, Harish Rao will get a chance to work out his strategies and stage a coup against KTR.
But one doubts whether Harish Rao has the guts and resources to wage a battle against KCR’s family.