TRS president and Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao is yet again coming under attack from all quarters for skipping the official programme of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s death anniversary held on Thursday (today) at Necklace Raod, Hyderabad.

The event was organised officially by Telangana state government but KCR did not bother to attend the event to pay tributes to PV.

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan found time to visit PV’s samadhi at Necklace Rao to pay tributes on the occasion but KCR could not spare time.

This naturally triggered criticism against KCR in political circles as well as on social media platforms who accused him of chanting the names of PV or Ambedkar only when there are elections.

KCR never visited PV’s samadhi to pay tributes after he became except once in 2014 soon after he became CM. But KCR all of a sudden declared year-long centenary celebrations of PV in 2020 on behalf of Telangana government. He fielded PV’s daughter as TRS candidate for Graduate MLC polls in March 2021. KCR attended PV’s birth anniversary celebrations in 2020 and 2021.

Now, KCR ignored PV’s death anniversary programme. Similarly, KCR never paid floral tributes to Ambedkar during his birth or death anniversary by visiting his statue at Tank Bund after he became CM in 2014. But when Huzurabad Assembly bypoll came, KCR started paying floral tibutes to Ambedkar at Pragathi Bhavan and announced Dalit Bandhu scheme.

But after Huzurabad bypoll in which TRS lost, KCR again ignored Ambedkar’s death anniversary on December 6 recently. KCR or Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) did not bother to issue even a message paying tributes to Ambedkar.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is gearing up for a direct fight with the Narendra Modi government at the Centre over the ‘raw deal’ being meted out in the state, especially in paddy procurement.

After two rounds of sit-in, including the one led by the Chief Minister himself in Hyderabad last month, demanding the Centre to lift entire paddy produced in the state, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief has asked his party cadres to widen the scope of the fight by staging protests in every village against ‘anti-farmer’ policies of the BJP-led NDA government.

Unlike the first phase of protest, which was confined to ‘dharnas’ in all the 119 Assembly constituencies, and the subsequent mega dharna led by KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, in Hyderabad, the third phase will include demonstrations and burning of effigies.

At a meeting with ministers, TRS state legislators, MPs and other leaders on December 17, KCR had declared an open war with the Centre.

“The party cadres have been told to burn effigies of BJP-led Centre and Union ministers who are speaking lies and spreading misinformation over the issue of paddy procurement,” a senior party leader had said after the meeting.

This will be the first time in seven years that TRS will be organising protests of this nature against the BJP-led Central government.

KCR, who last week completed three years as Chief Minister in his second term, minced no words in slamming the Centre for doing injustice to Telangana. He asked the party leaders to go to the people in their respective constituencies and explain to them the anti-farmer policies of the Centre.

KCR told the party cadres that the time has come for a decisive fight with the Centre, which is harming the interests of Telangana farmers by running away from its constitutional duty to lift paddy from the state.

The TRS decision to intensify the protest comes close on the heels of the face-off during the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament.

After taking on the Centre on the floor of the House for not lifting paddy from the state, the TRS announced boycott of the rest of the session over paddy procurement, other issues related to Telangana and suspension of 12 members of Rajya Sabha belonging to other opposition parties.

The 16 MPs of TRS, including seven from Rajya Sabha, wanted the Centre to announce a national food grain procurement policy and also take a decision on paddy procurement from the state during the Rabi season.

Angered by the Centre’s attitude towards their demands, the TRS MPs said the country will get justice only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves his seat.

“This is a fascist and anti-farmer government. We will prepare the people to revolt against the BJP in the people’s arena,” said TRS Parliamentary party leader K. Keshava Rao.

The TRS government, which was already worried over the impact of the Centre’s decision not to procure parboiled rice during the upcoming Rabi season, is also up in arms for sluggish procurement of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season.

The TRS was further angered by the statement of Central minister Piyush Goyal in the Parliament as he sought to blame the state government for the tardy pace of procurement.

“How can they blame the state government when the Food Corporation of India, warehouses, trains all are in their hands,” asked Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy.

He claimed that the state has almost reached the procurement target of 60 lakh tonnes set by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the current season. To mount pressure on the Centre to procure more paddy, a delegation of state ministers and MPs left for Delhi on Saturday.

The TRS is thus adopting a two-pronged strategy. While pressurising the Centre to lift the paddy from the state, the party is taking the issue to the grassroots level to explain to the people, especially farmers, that the problems are created by the anti-farmer policies of the Centre.

Political observers say that by hitting the streets, the TRS is also trying to effectively counter the BJP, whose state leadership has stepped up attack on the ruling party in the state for failing the farmers.

By organising a series of protests, TRS plans to expose what it calls ‘double game’ of the BJP. KCR and other leaders have been slamming the BJP leaders for provoking the farmers on a problem created by their own government at the Centre.

The TRS government has already appealed to the farmers not to grow paddy during Rabi season as the Centre has ruled out procuring parboiled rice from the state. The agriculture department said that since only parboiled rice is grown in the state due to its agro-climatic conditions, the farmers should look for alternate crops.

BJP leaders, on the other hand, have been asking the farmers to continue growing paddy and blaming TRS for the present situation. BJP’s state unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar has targeted the ruling party for not promoting cultivation of fine quality rice.

Apart from countering the BJP, the TRS faces the big challenge of convincing the farmers to stop paddy cultivation. Since paddy cultivation is considered relatively easy and is not capital intensive, persuading the farmers for a change in crop pattern will not be easy. Some political analysts say that in this situation, the TRS has limited options.

“KCR needs an escape route from the potential wrath he would face at the hands of the farmers in Telangana. Irrigation projects were the biggest assets for the TRS government to cultivate a positive image among the farmers. But now the issue of paddy procurement might upset the farmers and turn them against this regime. Now KCR needs to find means to blame the Modi government for not procuring paddy. His attack on the Union government must be looked at from that prism,” said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

He also feels that time is fast approaching for KCR to transfer the baton of power to his son K.T. Rama Rao.

“This would necessitate KCR to find a higher pedestal to step on to, and pave way for his son. Talking of national politics, and indicating at his potential move to New Delhi, is possibly what KCR is looking at at this stage,” Reddy added.

With just two years to go for Assembly elections, KCR will be keen to ensure that he doesn’t lose grip on power in the state, and at the same time play a key role in national politics.

India’s first International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) was jointly inaugurated by Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, and Telangana Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, here on Saturday.

The IAMC has come up with 25,000 sq ft temporary accommodation at VK Towers in Gachibowli, an information technology hub.

The state government has announced that land for a permanent building will be allotted at Puppalaguda in Hyderabad.

Life trustee of the centre, Justice R.V. Raveendran, Supreme Court judges L. Nageswara Rao, Hima Kohli and judges from the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh high courts attended the event.

Those who empanel the centre include internationally acclaimed arbitrators and mediators from countries such as Singapore and the UK.

The Telangana Chief Minister thanked the CJI for choosing Hyderabad to set up the prestigious facility.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Ramana said he is confident that this centre will lead the way for arbitration and mediation in the country and will become the premier centre not only in India, but across Asia and the world.

He also said that the Centre becoming a reality is nothing short of a miracle.

“I have not witnessed any such project concluding in such a short span of time,” the CJI said, recalling that he had broached this subject with the Chief Minister on June 12 during his first visit to Hyderabad.

He pointed out that the trust deed was signed on August 20 and the MoU between the government and the trust was signed on October 27.

Ramana said that he is all for ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) as such methods are beneficial to the parties to a dispute due to various reasons such as low cost, speed, more control over timelines and process, autonomy of parties, more comfortable environment and non-adversarial nature.

“These are some reasons why I suggest that people explore ADR options such as arbitration and mediation first, and approach courts only as a last resort,” he said.

“The setting up of IAMC at Hyderabad is an important step towards enhancing the ADR landscape of the country. While arbitration centres have already been set up in India, most prominently in Delhi and Mumbai, domestic and international parties still appear to prefer to go to foreign countries for dispute resolution,” Ramana said, as he exuded confidence that this trend will change with IAMC at Hyderabad.

“Domestic and international parties will increasingly come to this centre, which has world class facilities. Its location in Hyderabad will also be an attraction,” he said.

Calling Hyderabad one of the best cities in the country, the CJI noted that it is a growing hub of commerce and is one of the top destinations for business in India.

“I am feeling proud that I could contribute something, which would enhance the glory of this city,” he added.

He also urged the legal fraternity to turn the centre into a most sought after destination for resolution of all types of disputes, including family as well as commercial disputes.

The CJI termed the creation of the centre as a tribute to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who saw ADR as the way forward.

He also quoted from Narasimha Rao’s speech at the inauguration of ICADR in New Delhi 26 years ago.

When TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao announced on December 15, Wednesday soon after his return from three-day trip to Chennai and meeting Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, that he will hold TRS emergency meeting on December 17, Friday, it sent shockwaves not just in TRS but in entire political circles.

KCR’s announcement raised political heat as he called all his ministers, TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs, chairpersons of various corporations, chairpersons of zilla parishads. All important leaders from state-level to district-level were called for the meeting creating anxious moments among party leaders and cadre. They were worried about what KCR will tell in this meeting and what important decisions he would take.

But when finally this meeting ended on Friday, it turned out to be a damp squib.

TRS leaders who came out of the meeting hall heaved a sigh of relief and when media asked them about meeting details they simply replied, “old wine in the new bottle.”

The decision taken in this meeting was to hold protests across TS on December 20 against the decision of BJP government at the Centre not to procure paddy from Telangana.

Another decision is to send a delegation of ministers and MPs to Delhi to take up paddy issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Piyush Goyal.

TRS leaders wondered whether is it necessary to ask all leaders from state-level to district level to attend meeting just to take those two simple decisions? Can’t KCR take those decisions on his own and ask his party leaders and cadre to follow them?

They asked where is the guarantee that PM Modi will give appointment to ministers and MPs when he denied an appointment to KCR himself recently even after staying in Delhi for three days for PM’s appointment?

But that’s how KCR creates hype in media on trivial issues and garners attention of all.

Students and unemployed youth fought for statehood to Telangana with a hope that they will get jobs in separate Telangana state.

But Telangana CM KCR failed to issue job notifications despite 2 lakh vacancies in state government departments in seven years.

KCR has been giving jobs to TRS leaders by appointing them as chairpersons of various government corporations and provided employment for politically unemployed in TRS.

In the last two days, he appointed chairpersons for eight corporations.

On Friday (today), he appointed five chairpersons.

But what about 30 lakh unemployed youth in Telangana who registered with TSPSC and desperately awaiting job notifications for the last seven years.

KCR and his family members and TRS leaders got employment due to sacrifices made by students and unemployed youth due to which Telangana state was formed and KCR could become CM.

But KCR has no concern for them and only concerned about giving jobs to politically unemployed in his party.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao appears to be gearing up to take on the Centre and the BJP on various issues.

He is likely to discuss and decide a strategy at a crucial meeting of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Friday.

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, will preside over a joint session of the party MPs, state legislators, party executive, and other leaders.

The meeting is likely to discuss issues like paddy procurement by the Centre and proposed privatisation of four blocks of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).

After staging two rounds of protest including once led by KCR himself last month over the issue of paddy procurement, the TRS is likely to decide on the next phase of protest. The party will discuss the recent developments including the stand taken by the Centre in Parliament, blaming the TRS government for slow progress of paddy procurement during the ongoing Kharif season and the boycott of Parliament session by the TRS.

The TRS chief may give direction to the party leaders to step up attacks on the Centre and BJP for misleading the people with “contradictory statements” over the issue of paddy procurement.

The TRS leaders say despite the Centre making it clear that it will not procure parboiled rice during the coming Rabi season, the state BJP leaders continue to create confusion among farmers.

The meeting will also work out a strategy to oppose the Centre’s move to privatise four coal blocks of state-owned SCCL. The company last week saw three-day strike by employees, who have threatened to launch an indefinite strike.

KCR also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the proposal to privatise the coal blocks.

The decision to hold the meeting came a day after KCR met his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin in Chennai. The two Chief Ministers believed to have discussed a joint strategy to take on the Centre on various issues. Both the leaders have been targeting the Centre for taking away the powers of the states.

TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao is accused of neglecting students who sacrificed their lives and careers during Telangana statehood agitation.

KCR has been facing criticism of giving minister posts, MLA, MLC, MP tickets and nominated posts in TRS to those who have no connection with Telangana statehood agitation.

Despite this, KCR never took this criticism seriously as TRS was politically strong and won all the elections with a good majority.

But now the situation has changed for TRS in Telangana with opposition BJP and Congress emerging as strong alternatives for TRS.

After suffering defeats in the hands of BJP in Dubbak and Huzurabad Assembly bypolls, KCR seems to have realised the importance of those leaders and students who actively took part in Telangana statehood agitation.

KCR on Wednesday (today) issued orders appointing Osmania University student leaders Manne Krishank, Errolla Srinivas and Saichander as chairpersons of various state government corporations.

Krishank was appointed as chairman of mineral development corporation, Srinivas as chairman of medical services and infrastructure development corporation and Saichander as chairman of warehousing corporation.

All these three student leaders hail from Dalit community. It served three purposes of KCR of giving priority to T-agitation leaders, T-student leaders and also dalit leaders.