KTR's Open Offer to CPI to Run Kothagudem Municipality
BRS senses opportunity, goes for the kill
HYDERABAD: The BRS on Friday made an open offer of support to the Communist Party of India (CPI) to run the Kothagudem municipality, with BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao declaring that the intent was to not allow the Congress and the BJP from sharing power in any which way or even attempting to do so. Interestingly, the CPI contested the elections with the support of the Telugu Desam, a sworn enemy of the BRS.
The final word has not been said yet, with the Congress also reportedly reaching out to the CPI. Ex officio votes will also come into play. The CPI has not formally indicated its stand.
The Congress and the CPI both won 22 divisions in the 60-ward Kothagudem civic body, with the BRS following with eight, and independents and others winning the remaining eight. With the cut-off for a simple majority being 31, the CPI, if it accepts the BRS offer, will have 30 seats. CPI leaders in Kothagudem have said that they have the support of two of the independents, which, if it stands, will push the party over the required simple majority mark.
“Our open support to the CPI in Kothagudem has to do with how the Congress and the BJP have remained silent on the looting of Singareni collieries and not taking any action on the scams that are bleeding the company. I spoke with CPI leader and MLA K Sambasiva Rao and made the offer,” Rama Rao told a news conference.
The CPI had won the Kothagudem Assembly seat in alliance with the Congress but, since then, the two parties have not quite been seeing eye to eye on several issues. That the BRS sought to extend its help to CPI to run the municipality also despite the CPI contesting the municipal polls in alliance with the Telugu Desam, another sworn enemy of the BRS.
Setting aside these seeming contradictions, especially given the animosity the BRS has towards CPI’s past and present allies, Congress in the state and the TD in Andhra Pradesh, which the BRS charges with conspiring to loot Telangana’s water resources, the party has decided to sail with the CPI it if means achieving the end goal of denying Congress the power over at least one municipality.
