Cong set to drown TRS plans with Pulichinatala project

If everything goes well, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) is all set to hit two birds with one shot.

The state government's decision to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the contentious Pulichinatala balancing reservoir project immediately after the by-elections is a political masterstroke employed to achieve this end.

The decision is clearly aimed at driving out the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is opposing the project at the present location, from the government.

While this will ensure maximum accommodation for the Congressmen in the next cabinet expansion, the party will also emerge as the real champion of the interests of coastal Andhra farmers, for whom the construction of Pulichintala is the ultimate salvation from the current water crises in the lower Krishna projects.

It is no secret that power and money flows from the coastal Andhra region.

In fact, the latest statement of TRS leader and Union minister A Narendra, who claimed that YSR is a more dangerous enemy than his predecessor Naidu as opposed to the cause of Telangana, is a blessing in disguise for the chief minister in implementing his political strategy.

Embracing different stands with regard to the achievement of a separate statehood to Telangana by the two allies out of their own compulsions, combined with the ticklish egoism of TRS supremo and Union minister without portfolio K Chandrasekhara Rao, has driven the TRS to the present state where it is left with few choices. The moment it is out of power, a split is imminent.

According to reliable sources, over a dozen TRS MLAs are in touch with the confidents of the chief minister. Indications are that three out of the five TRS ministers may also switch over to Congress in case the TRS leadership walks out of the government under pressure.

Now the Congress is well positioned to counter the aggressive posture, which the TRS is likely to assume after the by-elections, to put pressure on the AICC leadership to speed up the process of granting statehood to Telangana.

KCR's only hope is that any move by the TRS to sever ties with the UPA would not be allowed by Sonia Gandhi as this would send wrong political signals by the AICC leadership to the other UPA partners and also to the people on Congress' sincerity on coalition politics.

Besides, it will add fuel to the BJP's claims on the stability of the government. But, even if the AICC persuades TRS with some assurances on the Telangana front, the Pulichintala issue will generate enough heat for the TRS to take a drastic decision. This is precisely what YSR's political strategists are aiming at.

The Congress high command cannot do much on this front, as the Pulichintala project was more than just an election promise. If the move could further silence the TRS leadership, the purpose of the state Congress leadership is half served. Any drastic decision by TRS in the face of Pulichintala issue will only help the state leadership to project TRS leaders as a pain in the neck before the AICC.

Only the courts can save the TRS leadership from the immediate embarrassment on the issue as the Andhra Pradesh High Court has already admitted writs against the government's decision on Pulichintala project based on certain technical grounds.

Discrediting the reputation of TRS in the eyes of the party high command is part of the pressure game adopted by the state government leadership, which will help in dissuading the AICC against taking any drastic step towards granting statehood to Telangana.

This is crucial for YSR staying in command for the full five-year term and also to consolidate his hold on coastal Andhra, ensuring the further decimation of the Telugu Desam Party in its traditional strong hold.

Apart from staying on in the state cabinet by quietly swallowing all humiliations, the TRS leadership has another option of taking to a militant and agitational path, which has serious political dimensions.

TRS insiders say that in the event the Congress leadership fails to keep up their promise that it would actively pursue on the demand of Telangana after the Maharashtra elections, the party will take to the path of struggle and agitation.

KCR recently appealed to the people of Telangana to prepare themselves for any eventuality, giving an indirect hint to the Congress leadership of what was in store.

TRS cannot afford to keep quiet in the present situation, as the People's War Group (PWG) has already put forth the separate statehood for Telangana as one of the important points of their agenda for talks with the government.

Incidentally, the peace talks between the state government and the naxal groups are slated to begin on 15 October, the same day the chief minister is scheduled to conduct 'bhumi pooja' for the construction of Pulichintala project amidst a huge fanfare.

Thus, the dialogue with the PWG gives an opportunity to the YSR government not to be seen as a betrayer of the Telangana cause even after showing the door to the TRS. PWG, which is eyeing on the Telangana issue to further its own influence, has termed KCR as a traitor of Telangana with an aim to discredit the latter on the claim of its proclaimed goal.

The possibility of a militant, if not a violent agitation for the demand for statehood to take shape has become much more real with the entry of PWG, if there ate any 'delaying tactics' by the Congress.

But after the recent developments, political observers now feel that TRS itself will take up the militant agitational path to save its credibility as the champion of the Telangana cause, in case it chose to quit from the government.

But it would be very difficult for the TRS to keep united in case it chose to quit, as the Congress is in a position to engineer a vertical split in the party, sources said.

It is now an open secret that the Karimnagar Zilla Parishad chairman K V Rajeshwar Rao who was recently expelled from TRS after his planned rebellion against KCR was already been promised the patronage of Congress.

KCR had to postpone the proposed introduction of no-confidence motion against Rajeshwara Rao in the Zilla Parishad for the time being as Rajeshwara Rao has fair chances of defeating the motion with the help of the Congress members, besides splitting the TRS ranks.