KSR Column: KCR Targeting The Opposition For His Failures

By Kommineni Srinivasa Rao

Comments made by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao targeting the opposition parties during the Haritha Haram programme are not in good taste and do not befit the status of the head of a state.

During an event, he compared the opposition to domesticated animals and bunch of vagabonds. He went on to ask if the ruling parties in the past ever took up so many welfare programmes and then added in his characteristic manner that the TRS does not care for the comments made by the opposition parties. Apparently, the CM's intention in making such statements is to instigate the rank and file of the opposition. No doubt, KCR had taken up innumerable welfare programmes but how correct is he in comparing them to animals? Isn't there a red line even for a chief minister? For that matter how effectively are these welfare programmes being implemented?

Take the Haritha Haram programme itself. He called on the people to plant saplings and look after them like small children and care for them. That is fine. But how many of those plants will survive till the next year and how many will survive till winter? Is the government keeping track of how many are surviving and how many are withering away? About 1,200 saplings were planted in a sports school in Karimnagar. Only 30 of those plants survived - is the CM keeping track of it?

The chief minister has the habit of making tall promises. He is on record for stating that he will turn Karimnagar into London and Hyderabad into Dallas. Now, there are two more years to go before the next assembly elections. It is to be seen if he will do the "transformation" in two years or ask for a second term from the electorate. Making those promises is one thing but claiming that the present government alone is introducing welfare programmes while the previous regimes did not do anything for the masses is wrong. This style of misleading the people by such statements and then comparing the opposition to animals and vagabonds is a new trend.

A question for the chief minister. Welfare programmes are good but does he personally check their implementation. His idea of fighting adulteration of food items is good but does he personally check them? Take for instance - toddy - a country liquor. Does the government have a plan in place to check or prevent adulteration of toddy? Or is it sufficient to mislead the people from his failures by commenting on the opposition parties?

It has been a long time since chief minister KCR attended the office at the State Secretariat. None of the chief ministers was away from the Secretariat for so long. If KCR has confined himself to the Pragathi Bhavan camp office alone then how does he get first hand information about the happenings in the Secretariat.

Scores of big ticket projects have been announced by the KCR government. How many of those will be completed as per schedule is anybody's guess but blaming the opposition for delaying the projects definitely exposes the weakness of chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao. He must tone down his rhetoric used during the agitation for separate Telangana.