New TS CM hits the ground running, raises hopes

The Congress party led by Anumula Revanth Reddy, which had come to power defying all impossibilities in politics, has made a good beginning. The young Chief Minister has been taking speedy decisions and seems to be in a mood to show to the people that he means business.

Before coming to power, there was lot of ‘Tu Tu-Mein Mein’ between the BRS and Revanth. KCR, KTR and Harish Rao had made highly critical comments in the name of local slang. Revanth too reacted in equally harsh language.

During the campaign KTR and other leaders made several comments against Revanth like “do you want an MLA who would be with you or an MLA who would go to jail.” Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao called him ‘Rifle Reddy’ and accused him of being hand-in-glove with “Andhra Rulers” during the Telangana agitation. KCR said, “Revanth said he would offer ‘pindam (a Hindu ritual of offering food to the departed soul)’ to me in the floodwaters. Is it proper for him to abuse Telangana activists and a person like me, who sat on fast-unto-death to secure statehood?”

Certainly, using such a language against a Chief Minister is not good for anyone. But then what the BRS leaders forgot was they were inviting a reaction to their action. Unfortunately. in both the Telugu states, it has become a fashion for the Chief Minister and the ruling party members to make all kinds of comments against leaders of opposition, but cry foul when there is a reaction from the other side.

But, once the elections are over, Revanth who had said that that “if voted to power, Congress would usher in a true democratic Telangana,” seems to be following what he said. His gesture of calling on the former KCR at a corporate hospital where the former CM had undergone hip surgery was a good move. Later addressing the media, he said he wished that the former CM recover fast and enter the Assembly to guide the state government. Even the Minister for Transport Ponnam Prabhakar who went to the hospital said that in such a situation, politics should not figure. He said KCR had led the agitation for separate Telangana and he too had worked with him in the agitation. It was an act of camaraderie, he said.

Revanth’s style of functioning and his brand of politics appear to be a mix of TDP style where he underwent his political training and that of Congress Chief Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Praja Darbar was a concept which was introduced by YSR and now launched by Revanth for the first time in the new state. It received tremendous response and gave a glimpse into certain irregularities in Dharani portal, which was one of main election issues.

It is a known fact that not more than 20 or 25 per cent of the grievances that are received at Praja Darbar are generally resolved due to various reasons. But then a quick shift from aggressive poll campaign to speedy implementation of the electoral promises strikes a chord with common man. The bid to decentralise administration should be appreciated. However, the biggest task before Revanth is to reorganise the bureaucracy and have a team of his own so that his ideas can be implemented in the shortest possible time. He needs to pick his dream team including new Chief Secretary and DGP as well as Principal Secretaries of key departments including finance. Soon, the government will have to present a full budget and work out strategies for Lok Sabha elections.

Indications are that the BJP which always wanted Congress-Mukt Bharat would be adopting a tough stance against the Congress party. On the other hand, the BRS, too, would try to take on the Congress party. Challenges are galore. But the opposition should not be in tearing hurry to criticise the new government. Any new government should be given enough time before one starts commenting on it.