HYDERABAD: Is TRS fielding late Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s daughter Surabhi Vani Devi in the Mahbubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad MLC Graduates’ election mainly to assuage the feelings of Brahmins? The recent twin murders of lawyer couple Gattu Vaman Rao and Nagamani, belonging to the same caste, have angered community leaders.
According to sources, it is one among several other reasons for the pink party to give her the ticket.The TRS is facing embarrassment with the police arresting Manthani TRS leader Kunta Sreenu, along with other accused, for the twin murders.
Though Sreenu has since been suspended from the party, TRS is also finding it difficult to stomach the Opposition campaign that he is a follower of Peddapalli Zilla Parishad chairperson Putta Madhu and hence it is a State-sponsored atrocity.
According to sources, a majority of advocates and Brahmins are angry with the TRS after the murder of the Vaman Rao and his wife, who belonged to their caste. Most of them are particularly unhappy with the ruling party as neither TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao nor party’s working president and Minister KT Rama Rao made any statement, denouncing the murders.
According to sources, the other reasons for nominating Vani Devi include the prospect of the TRS being seen as honouring Telangana’s son of soil and former PM late Narasimha Rao and also push the Congress into a defensive mode as PV belonged to the grand old party. The Congress is fielding former minister G Chinna Reddy as its candidate for the seat.
PV’s daughter a scapegoat, says Oppn
Sources said that the ruling party preferred a Brahmin woman as its candidate to send the message across the State that it is not against Brahmins. However, several Opposition leaders said that Vani Devi was being made a scapegoat. “If the TRS wants to honour PV’s family, it should have sent Vani Devi to Rajya Sabha,” felt PV’s grandson and BJP leader NV Subhash. Some leaders pointed out that like K Kavitha, Vani Devi too should have been given a seat which TRS was confident of winning. The TRS insulted the PV’s family by allotting a seat, which the TRS was sure to lose, alleged Congress leader Ponnam Prabhakar.