BRS needs KTR to take its message nationally

HYDERABAD: After the formal inaugural of the Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in New Delhi, and information seeping out about its plans of exploring options of entering electoral battlefields in Karnataka, Maharashtra and even possibly Andhra Pradesh, a close look at the party leaders’ lineup bore a close resemblance to the Portugal team in the FIFA World Cup match ahead of the eliminator. One of its biggest stars was sitting on the sidelines.

Several senior party leaders, without wanting to be publicly quoted, revealed a deep anxiety that a crucial element missing in the BRS was the presence and role of IT minister, speaker par excellence and key strategist — TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao.

Rama Rao is not only a crucial asset as a campaigner, but senior leaders recalling his role during the Telangana movement said that while party supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao was able to ignite the imagination of the people, it was Rama Rao who took to campaigning the rationale of the struggle on national media, which made the idea more acceptable outside the state.

“While our leader Chandrashekar Rao is busy building strategic relationships and developing the party nationally, without KTR being the voice of it, especially in English and Hindi, reaching out to the media and people across the country, particularly the urban pockets, our messaging will remain sub-optimised,” a party MP said.

Over the last eight years, and earlier, before the separate state of Telangana was formed, Rama Rao has been the urbane face and sensibility within the party, who could influence public opinion, round off the edges of perception and bring in a huge support group to the cause, opine leaders.

“KTR is extremely successful with youth, urbanites and educated sections. The media eats out of his hand. He being on the sidelines of the birth of the BRS is like Cristiano Ronaldo watching the match from the bench,” a TRS youth leader said. “While KCR will be addressing the mega rallies occasionally and remain focussed on building the BRS, just like he built a national consensus around the cause of Telangana, given that we have just over a year for the national elections, we need the KTR blitzkrieg to ignite support, starting with the major metro cities.”

As of now, there is no information from the BRS sources of any impending programme or tour of Rama Rao in support of the party nationally. Even during the formal inaugural, Rama Rao remained in Hyderabad, and was seen in stewardship of several local programmes, mostly launches of companies whose investments he was able to bring into Telangana and Hyderabad.

“At a time when investments, creation of jobs and augmenting infrastructure qualitatively are big issues, KTR alone can be the face and voice of it,” the party’s youth leader, and a crucial social media strategist, added. “We are waiting like the Portuguese fans waited for CR7. And we hope the wait won’t be too long.”

The outcome will be different too, the party must be hoping.