Sircilla: Perhaps for the first time, a state minister went public on Monday saying Mr K.T. Rama Rao should be made Chief Minister, a prospect that has been talked about for long. TRS senior leader and home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said at a public meeting held in Sircilla constituency, represented by Mr Rama Rao, on Monday, “The state will move forward fast on the development front if IT minister K.T. Rama Rao becomes Chief Minister of Telangana state.”
The statement came as a big surprise, given that Mr Nayani had made it in public. It has long been reported that Mr Rama Rao would move in as chief minister, a prospect he has not explicitly denied. In TRS circles, however, it is taken as a certainty that Mr Rama Rao would be the next Chief Minister.
Mr Narasimha Reddy’s public statement came on the heels of city minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav’s almost equating Mr Rama Rao which the Chief Minister at a party meeting.
During a meeting in Telangana Bhavan last month to admit leaders and activists of various parties into the TRS, Mr Srinivas Yadav had said, “If you tell something to KTR, it amounts to telling CM. There is no difference.” Mr Narasimha Reddy’s statement shows that the support for Mr Rama Rao as Chief Minister is been increasing within the party. Mr Rama Rao has been countering such statements by saying, “KCR will be CM for next 20 years and the question of talk on next CM issue does not arise in the TRS.” Interestingly, this time, there was no clarification from Mr Rama Rao immediately after Mr Narasimha Reddy’s public statement.
Mr Nayani Narasimha Reddy was speaking after inaugurating Rs 7.75-crore ITI building in Mande-palli in Thangallaplli mandal of the Siricilla district. Mr Narasimha Reddy said that Mr Rama Rao, who is holding key positions, is already playing a vital role in the development of the state and he will do better if he becomes Chief Minister. Mr Narasimha Reddy said that as IT minister Mr Rama Rao had visited many countries and convinced industrialists to set up industries in the state and created employment for lakhs of youth.
The public statements to make Mr Rama Rao assumes significance in the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly elections which are less than a year away.
Moreover, Chief Minister K. Chandra-sekhar Rao is planning to move into national politics after 2019 elections by floating the Federal Front of regional parties to play a bigger role in the Union government.
