HYDERABAD: Faced with growing criticism that he is not accessible to elected representatives and his own party colleagues, that he does not meet people and that he has not addressed Dalit issues in his seven-year tenure as chief minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao appears to have made some ‘course correction’ if his ways of warming up to opposition leaders, senior TRS leaders and officials are any indication.
Soon after he was sacked from the cabinet, BJP leader Eatala Rajender went to town alleging that KCR does not give appointments to his cabinet colleagues and MLAs and keeps them waiting.
He even alleged that the doors of Pragati Bhavan are not open for common people.
While it is too early to say if Eatala’s charges have dented the image of KCR or not, the CM giving appointment to Congress leaders to meet him in Pragati Bhavan on Friday in 10 minutes flat to represent a Dalit woman’s alleged custodial death has certainly done a world of good for his image-building exercise.
Plus, the way he acted swiftly on their representation and ordered an inquiry into the incident and provided a job, house and announced compensation to the family kept the CM in good stead.
It may be recalled this was the first time in the last seven years that the Congress leaders have got an appointment with the CM.
Analysts said the CM does not want Mariyamma’s death issue to snowball into another Nerella episode.
In 2017, eight Dalits of Nerella village in Sircilla district were tortured by police following an incident of torching of a sand-laden lorry allegedly by them as they believed four persons in the village were mowed down by sand lorries.
The incident drew even national attention.
As soon as Dalit organisations and opposition parties took up Mariyamma’s lockup death issue, the CM immediately plunged into action to negate bad publicity and said is government is implementing several welfare schemes for SCs and STs.
Political analyst professor K Nageshwar said holding an all-party meeting on Dalit empowerment and preparation of guidelines was an attempt by KCR to reinvent himself.
“After Dubbak and GHMC elections, KCR realised that the TRS is not invincible in Telangana.
With word flying thick and fast that he is either confined to Pragati Bhavan or Erravelli farmhouse, the CM has started meeting people after the lockdown by touring districts and having community lunches with them.
Another charge that leaders hold against KCR is that he takes unilateral decisions.
No wonder, he began having consultations with elected representatives from opposition parties on Dalit empowerment,” he explained.
Padmaja Shaw, retired professor of Osmania University, said several atrocity cases on Dalits have been registered in the state.
“The government does not react unless court issues a directive.
In the Dalit youth murder case in Peddapalli district, a former MLA is allegedly involved.
KCR has now started the damage-control exercise,” she said.
Political analysts said KCR appears to have realised that he made a mistake by trying to weaken Congress by inducting its MLAs into his party which has indirectly helped the BJP to grow in the state.
“Now, he wants Congress to grow to contain the rise of the BJP in the state.
That is why the CM has reacted immediately on Congress party’s representation on the Dalit woman death case,” Padmaja Shaw said.