Why was KCR away? BRS chief plans ‘comeback’ after long absence from public eye

Even as the BRS chief announced that the party would hold a public meeting later this month over the Congress government’s misrule, Reddy retorted, comparing KCR to “demonetised currency”, saying, “It had value in the past and it has no value now.”

Since the 2023 defeat, KCR has not been seen in public frequently, barring a few times in the Assembly and during the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, where he held a bus yatra. In KCR’s long absence, his son and BRS working president K T Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, and senior party leaders such as T Harish Rao and K Kavitha have been holding the fort, frequently targeting the Congress government over its allegedly unfulfilled promises. Last week, KTR held a “Rythu Maha Dharna” in Nalgonda and accused the Reddy government of “conspiring to deny farmers financial aid under the Rythu Bharosa scheme”. However, the question of why KCR took a “step back” following the BRS’s defeat remains unanswered.

According to BRS insiders, the former CM has been active but just “not visible to the public eye”. “He has been pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Everything that the party does is approved by KCR. He is very much in action,” a party worker said. It is widely believed that KCR has been “guiding” KTR and Kavitha from behind the scenes.

A section of party leaders says that KCR took a step back to ensure that the brother-sister duo learn the “tricks of the trade away from his towering shadow”, with some likening him to former Tamil Nadu CM late M Karunanidhi. “Karunanidhi continued to be the president of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam even after M K Stalin (the current CM) took over the reins. Why shouldn’t KCR give a chance to his son to do the same?” a leader asked.

Another section of the party believes that the former Telangana CM is spending time to “recalibrate” his political comeback. According to them, KCR likes a “grand re-entry” and is not someone who will retire for his children.

There is a strong buzz in the state’s political circles about KCR’s actions having to do with the BRS’s equations with the BJP, which made significant gains in Telangana in last year’s Lok Sabha polls, mainly at the expense of the party. The BJP doubled its tally to eight while its vote share increased from 19.6% to around 35% even as the BRS drew a blank and saw its vote share dip from 41.7% in 2019 to 16.7%.

Is BJP the reason?

The former CM’s absence from the public eye has led to varied speculations. While there is a belief that the BJP’s gains have largely “nullified” KCR’s power in Telangana, a few in the Congress claim that the BRS has a “tacit understanding with the BJP”, a charge often levelled against the regional party by senior Congress leaders, including Reddy.

“There is only one way by which the BRS can come back to power. It has to win back voters from the BJP. When there is no effort to make this happen, it is possible that there is an understanding between the two parties,” a Congress leader said.

Another source said that KCR’s stoic silence was not without reason. “If he breaks his silence, he will have to attack the BJP the way he used to right before losing power. It is evident that KCR has not figured out how to deal with the BJP as of now,” the source said.

BRS insiders, however, claimed that the upcoming public meeting would see the BRS hit back at the BJP as well as the Congress. “KCR’s announcement is very clear. We will strike back not just at the Congress but also at the BJP,” said a party leader.