KCR QUITS TDP

KCR-KALVAKUNTLA CHANDRASHEKAR RAO

It was in 2001 that KCR quit as deputy speaker of the assembly and resigned from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to float the TRS. The former minister hailing from Medak district revived the decades old movement, which has almost died after the violent agitation of 1969.

His rallies proved an instant hit and the party made an impressive electoral debut in local body elections.

In the 2004 elections, which TRS fought in alliance with Congress, the party had bagged 26 assembly and five Lok Sabha seats.

Though he succeeded in taking the Telangana issue to the centrestage and extracted promises from Congress-led UPA government, he failed to achieve his goal.

His flip-flop on the issue, the repeated deadlines he fixed for achieving the goal, his perceived dictatorial attitude and controversial decisions disillusioned the party cadre and 10 legislators staged a revolt.

KCR pulled out of coalition governments and threatened to expose the Congress for betraying the people of Telangana. However, his gamble of going for by-elections last year boomeranged as the TRS could retain only seven assembly and two Lok Sabha seats.

He found a new ally in TDP after it backed the demand for separate Telangana before the elections early this year.

TRS contested 50 of the 119 Assembly seats in the Telangana region but won only 10. YSR interpreted this as the vote against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

KCR's critics, including revolutionary balladeer Gaddar, said he was weakening the movement by running after votes instead of launching a mass movement.

Gaddar, who had also announced plans to launch his own party, was proved right as KCR succeeded in achieving through agitation what he could not through votes.