Hyderabad: There are some similarities between the late Chief Minister and Telugu Desam founder-president Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR, and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Everyone knows that Mr Rao is the biggest fan of NTR; the CM has said this himself many times, and even named his son Taraka Rama Rao.
In 1989, NTR sacked the entire 31-member Cabinet for leaking budget proposals to the media.
For about 15 days NTR ran the administration without a Cabinet.
Mr Rao seems to be following his footsteps. He took oath as Chief Minister for the second time on December 13 and since the last one week he is running the administration without a Cabinet. TRS sources say Mr Rao may form the Cabinet on December 30.
If this is correct, he will run the administration without a Cabinet for 17 days.
The only difference between NTR and Mr Rai is that the CM has inducted one minister — Mohmood Ali — while NTR had no Cabinet minister for 15 days.
NTR had a farmhouse at Gandipet and built his home Shanthi Kutiram there. He would go there very often and took many important political and administrative decisions at the Gandipet Shanthi Kutiram.
Mr Rao also has a farm house, at Erravalli village in his home constituency of Gajwel. And like NTR, he also loves to spend time there and takes important decisions from there, such as the decision to dissolve the state Assembly early.
As the Youth Congress president of Medak district, Mr Rao was a strong follower of Congress stalwart A. Madan Mohan.
After NTR launched the Telugu Desam in 1982, in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Mr Rao joined the party and was elected MLA several times. He was also a minister in the NTR Cabinet.
Yet another thing the two men have in common is a strong belief in astrology and Vastu.
NTR’s lucky number was 9 and Mr Rao’s lucky number is 6; the numbers appear similar when viewed from different angles.
