Telangana Report Card: Four Years Of KCR Governance

Kommineni Srinivasa Rao

It must be said that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao completed four years in office without any major problem. Among some of the significant aspects of tenure are a weakened opposition and the split he could cause in the one which existed. As a result he has minimal or only nominal opposition.  At the same time, it must be said that KCR’s rule has not been marked by populist schemes or the desire to speak on an everyday basis. Under KCR, the business of governance moved on quietly.
On the whole, everyone tends to feel that the KCR government is better than its counterpart in Andhra Pradesh. The most interesting aspect of it all is that this is the feeling among the people of Andhra Pradesh. In recent days, KCR has come up with some interesting welfare schemes. There are several positive facets to his tenure.  There are some negative points too.

KCR had announced loan waivers of Rs. 1 lakh, but had broken it down into four phases. It must be said therefore, that in not giving it at one go, farmers were not benefited to a large extent. People from the  Andhra region who had settled in Hyderabad did not face any problems and this is something to KCR’s credit. Law and order has been on the positive side of KCR’s rule.

People from all regions including those from Andhra backed TRS all the way in the GHMC elections. KCR has been  hailed for taking up irrigation projects such as Kaleswaram and Palamuru. It has been seen that he accorded more importance to the former. Mission Bhagiratha has earned praise from various states. Guru cool scheme and patronising Telugu have also brought laurels to KCR.

KCR’s recent announcement on the Rythu Bandhu scheme seeking to give Rs.8000 per acre to farmers in two phases has again been hailed by many sections of society, though it has been criticised by some. KCR  has also set in motion a massive exercise to correct discrepancies in land records across the state of Telangana.  Moreover, he faces no threat from Chandrababu Naidu whom he could promptly dispatch to Vijayawada.

The fact that KCR has not been to the state secretariat for a year is something which works against him. Pragathi Bhavan is the hub of all government activity under him. As a result, the state secretariat has lost a bit of its importance. He may have faith in Vaastu, and that could be a reason for his prolonged absence from the state secretariat.  It must be said however, that his earlier statement that not even God can save Chandrababu Naidu from being punished for his involvement in the notes-for-votes case, and his later stand on the issue, was perceived more as a reflection of the AP CM’s manipulative skills.

Shifting of the protest venue in the capital city of Hyderabad is being seen as a sign of intolerance of the TRS government. The expulsions of Congress MLAs Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Sampathkumar  also come in for severe criticism. The unconstitutional defection of Congress and TDP MLAs into TRS also did not do anything to enhance the image of the party. A sum of Rs. 80,000 crores is being spent on Kaleswaram.  How much is the per acre cost? Opposition parties have been accusing the TRS leadership of corruption.

Also, the fact that Telangana today has a debt which surpasses that of the past several decades, is not a healthy sign at all. On the whole, KCR and TRS have the upper hand in politics today in Telangana. Has he been able to transform the state? If we avoid addressing this question and brush aside the topic of family rule, surveys indicate that KCR and TRS have scored on all counts.