KT Rama Rao on Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s time for revival in Telangana, breaking the BJP-Congress partnership in the state, why the delimitation bill is unfair to the south and political parties are disconnected from the youth. The session was moderated by Manoj CG, Chief of National Political Bureau, The Indian ExpressManoj C G: The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project was one of the major reasons for the BRS defeat in the 2023 assembly elections, which the Congress said is a structural failure of the K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) government. They have also accused the government of corruption and technical irregularities. The state government has already recommended a CBI probe. But the Congress says there is some sort of understanding between you and the BJP and that’s why a CBI probe has not even started.First, despite what my opponents in the Congress and the BJP would like to believe, let me tell you, it’s been 12 years since the BJP has been in power in Delhi. It’s been almost 32 months since the Congress has come to office in Hyderabad. If any of these allegations have a shred of evidence in them, then they would have taken us out clean. The Kaleshwaram project brings drinking water to Hyderabad, gives water to industries, irrigates over 40 lakh acres of land in dry, arid Telangana. So, we are open to investigation. But, I would like to ask: After the Congress government resumed office in Telangana, the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project had a tunnel collapse, where eight people died. Neither the BJP nor the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) have said a word. Other than us, nobody else is speaking about it. In the country today, agencies like ED, CBI, IT have been weaponised and used as instruments to coerce and bulldoze people into submission. Two years ago, a Congress minister’s house and about 15 premises were raided by the ED. Three note counting machines were taken in. Guess how many cases have been filed since then? Neither has the minister said anything nor has the ED. Two days after the raid, a minister goes and meets a big industrialist at a hotel in Hyderabad and everything is hushed up. Then, the Hyderabad Central University, controlled by HRD ministry, is pledged to ICICI bank, and takes a loan of Rs 10,000 crore. The whole agenda was to bring Rs 30,000 crore by either selling it or mortgaging it. The students began protesting, attracting national attention and eventually the state government had to retreat because the Supreme Court Green Bench had intervened and constituted a centrally empowered committee. It’s been two years and no action has been taken yet. There is an unholy nexus of the Congress and the BJP in Telangana. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law gets contracts in Central government schemes and BJP MPs get contracts in Telangana. Dono ka itna zabardast Fevicol ka jodd hai (The two are so closely knit) that we find it difficult to fight both at the same time. KT Rama Rao, Working President, Bharat Rashtra. (Photo by Renuka Puri)Manoj CG: There’s been a continued absence of KCR (K Chandrashekar Rao) from the political scene. Is it not hampering your revival efforts?He’s been active but not in the public eye. He’s been dealing with organisational matters and whenever the situation demanded he has come forward, spoke on how the state government was capitulating to the Krishna River Management Board and how it was meek to not stand up to the Union government. He has spoken on a number of issues that have mattered to the state. He believes in democracy and believes in giving time to the incumbent government. We are all trained by KCR, so whatever we say, whatever we speak, is basically his line and the party line.Manoj C G: During the CJP protest, you also addressed meetings in Hyderabad. Do you think it was a setback for the BJP government? And is there a message in this for the Opposition as well?The protest was an inflection point. It is definitely a sign because it wasn’t just about NEET or CBSE or an exam paper leak. All the pent-up angst needed a trigger. So, should the BJP be worried? Absolutely, because Gen Z is the biggest voting bloc in the 2029 election.Story continues below this adThe incumbent government should be worried. And should the Opposition be ashamed? Yes, we all should be, including Rahul Gandhi. We were not able to inspire confidence among the youth to rally with us. KCR very famously predicted this in 2020. He said India will react and it will rise to the occasion. This generation has shown spine. ED, CBI, IT bacchon pe kaam nahi karta (doesn’t work on the kids).On the delimitation bill | If it’s for public good, then increase the MLA seat in each state. That won’t alter the geography of the state or the boundaries of Parliament. India has more than 4,000 MLA seats, make it 6,000, like you did in J&KLiz Mathew: We have seen what happened to BRS sometime ago and in West Bengal too. Do you think there is a deliberate attempt from so-called national parties to finish off regional parties?In India, there are regional parties and then there are bigger regional parties there are no truly national parties which have presence in 28 different states. Yes, the BJP and the Congress are far bigger than us but the hypocrisy of these two parties stand out. If your party has the strength and there is strength in your fight, then no one can finish anyone. Even now, I don’t think TMC is finished. Because regional parties have their ear to the ground. So,they are here to stay. Give somebody unbridled power, things can go wrong. In two-and-a-half years, we are coming back in Telangana and will also be an important force in Delhi.Liz Mathew: Your sister has gone out of the party and created a new one.Story continues below this adNo individual is above the institution, be it my sister, myself or anybody. The institution is TRS and the leader is KCR. So, if individual ambitions or individual desires overpower what the collective of the state wants, then so be it. I think it is for the people to decide our fate.Vandita Mishra: You said the CJP protests were an inflection point. What are the two or three things that you need to learn from what has happened, going forward?We can all unanimously agree that we have not been able to inspire these kids to work, rather sail with us. We need to figure out why we are not able to inspire confidence in them. So, that’s the first thing we need to do, introspect. Second, look at what happened in Tamil Nadu recently. The two Dravidian parties were set aside and the new entrant was given an opportunity. So sometimes, anything new seems attractive. But more importantly, from the perspective of the Opposition, we need to understand that the angst of the youth is real and we need to evolve and quickly come out with some solutions and a roadmap ahead. Otherwise we will also be confined to history.On the recent youth protests | From the perspective of the Opposition, we need to understand that the angst of the youth is real and we need to evolve and quickly come out with some solutions and a roadmap ahead. Else, we will be confined to historyVandita Mishra: Why do you think political parties have not been able to connect with the young?Story continues below this adTo a large extent, the aspirations of the youngsters are not being understood. What have we not done? I’d say probably even the good work that we’ve done, we’ve not been able to communicate it properly. Maybe we are not engaging enough on the mediums that they are relying on, be it Instagram, Reddit or Discord. So yes, maybe there’s a communication issue and not so much as alignment in terms of what we want for the country. KT Rama Rao (right), Working President, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, with Manoj CG, Chief of National Political Bureau, The Indian Express, at the Noida office. (Photo by Renuka Puri)Sandeep Singh: On the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill, are you ok with the increase of the existing number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies by 50 per cent?Well, let me put it this way, why is delimitation needed? Primarily because we believe decentralisation is important. It’s written in the Constitution that every 10 years there will be a census and, with it, delimitation shall happen. The whole premise of delimitation, the whole premise of freezing the number of seats at 543 in 1971 was to control population. Those who controlled their population, like the states in south India, Punjab and Odisha, they are being punished. Unka aap gala ghoto ge (You tighten the noose for them) and tell them their seats will decrease, and those who haven’t controlled their population, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Madhya Pradesh, you will increase their seats?If they want to do the delimitation for public good, then increase the MLA seat in each state. That won’t alter the geography of the state or the boundaries of Parliament. India has more than 4,000 MLA seats, make it 6,000. Do it like you did in J&K. But when it comes to Parliament, today, there is a 24 per cent representation of southern states in Parliament. Our population today stands at about 19 per cent. If you are going to tell me that in 1971, my population and my number of seats were proportionately decided at 24. Today, it has to be reduced to 19 per cent, a reduction of 5 per cent and you think south of India will listen to it, absolutely not.Story continues below this adAs for women’s reservation, why is the government hellbent on linking it to delimitation? The Women’s Reservation Bill has already been passed. If you want to implement it, implement it immediately on the 543 seats available, who is stopping you? In fact, in Telangana, we delivered 50 per cent reservation to women in local bodies when we were in power. Why can’t the government of India follow suit and do that same thing when states are able to do it? KT Rama Rao, Working President, Bharat Rashtra. (Photo by Renuka Puri)P Vaidyanthan Iyer: In your state, during your time, we have seen a massive increase in what we call the freebie culture. Your debt would have certainly gone up. How do you look at this whole idea of giving more money or benefits to various sections of the society?Telangana’s debt-to-GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) today is among the most conservative in the country. We’re around 27 or 28 per cent. India overall is at 59 per cent. The US is around 122.6 per cent and Japan is around 200-235 per cent. What I am saying is that a growing economy can sustain debt. Telangana grew at 7.2 per cent in the last one decade. India’s average was 5.6. We grew at a furious pace. We invested in productive sectors, multiplied farmers’ wealth and the service sector’s contribution to the country. We are just 2.7 per cent of India in terms of population but our contribution to the GDP is 5.2 per cent. So we’re literally a 50-kilo boxer punching double our weight. My state, for instance, was under naxalism for about two decades or more. But now it has been contained. You have to ensure that every single person in the society has their three meals a day taken care of or they will turn into lawless, restless citizens. Countries and regions and states then cannot growOn his criticism of the NDA govt | In the mid-1980s, we were a bigger economy than China. 45 years later, what did we deliver? A prime minister, a government with absolute mandate, a non-Gandhi family for the first time who squandered a brilliant opportunityManoj C G: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi became Bharat Rashtra Samithi (in 2022) with a national ambition. At some point, you wanted to forge the third front. What is happening to that ambition now?Story continues below this adIf Telugu movies can become pan-India movies, why should Telugu parties not become pan-India parties? Having ambition is not such a bad thing. We tried to dabble in national politics but now our priority is clear. We want to win back, at home first. We have to win back Telangana, only then the rest. Right now, we want to remove the BJP-Congress joint venture government from the state. KT Rama Rao (right), Working President, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, with Manoj CG, Chief of National Political Bureau, The Indian Express, at the Noida office. (Photo by Renuka Puri)Sandeep Singh: You’ve been listing all the achievements under your government. From agriculture to infrastructure. So, how did you lose the plot?See, people in India are economically bankrupt. Politicians and the political system are intellectually bankrupt. It’s a deadly cocktail. That’s exactly what happened when KCR was giving Rs 10,000 to farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme. Congress came and said, ‘We will give Rs 15,000’. And when KCR was giving Rs 1 lakh as a gift to any young girl getting married so as to avoid underage marriages, Congress came and said, ‘We will give 10 grams of gold also’, under the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme.This was our third term of fighting elections. In 2014 and 2018, we won on our own. In 2023 also we fought alone. What was the gap? Four lakh. The difference was just 1.8 per cent. Even for the third time Modi ji stopped at 240 (seats). We had no allies, that’s why we didn’t come to power.Story continues below this adPolitics is cyclical. Sometimes we lose, sometimes we win. The simple fact is that because of unrealistic things that were said (by the Congress) and promises made, showing people false dreams, is why we lost. KT Rama Rao, Working President, Bharat Rashtra. (Photo by Renuka Puri)Pushkar Banakar: What do you think is missing with the Congress’s approach in Telangana?I think probably the passion, love for Telangana and basically administration is missing. They are busy looting and sending money bags to Delhi.Manoj CG: You said that the BRS will return to power in 2028. You’re very confident of it. What would you do differently from what it was from 2014 to 2023.Story continues below this adWe did well, we didn’t lose the plot. Just because we lost in one election, it doesn’t mean we have to change everything. We will make sure we go back to people and tell them what we have done. We will bounce back and we will bounce back strong.Liz Mathew: What is the biggest criticism you have against this particular NDA government?Well, delivery. They have not delivered. By 2022, Indian farmers’ income was supposed to be doubled, it is 2026. By 2022, India was supposed to be a five-trillion economy, but it is still at 4.15 trillion. By 2022, every poor person in India was supposed to have a home, I don’t know if that has been delivered. That’s why you see the protest spilling onto the streets. You promised two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh in everybody’s account. None of this happened.What did happen is that now I know Liz Mathew is Christian, I’m Hindu. I know another person’s religion and what he does. That has taken centre stage. That has become the discussion point, unfortunately. What else have we achieved in this country?We are happy comparing ourselves to Pakistan and Bangladesh. China is already a 20 trillion economy. In the mid-1980s, we were a bigger economy than China. 45 years later, what did we deliver? A prime minister, a government with absolute mandate, a non-Gandhi family for the first time who squandered a brilliant opportunity. That’s the biggest disappointment as an Indian. KT Rama Rao (right), Working President, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, with Manoj CG, Chief of National Political Bureau, The Indian Express, at the Noida office. (Photo by Renuka Puri)Apurva Vishwanath: Telangana has led with high-intensity surveillance for a long time. It is surveillance without consent. What inbuilt safety modules do we have for this mass surveillance?You call it mass surveillance, I call it law and order. The primary responsibility of every single government is the well-being of its citizens. In Hyderabad, when we launched this initiative of Safe Smart Hyderabad, we envisioned a situation where an integrated command control centre would come to the rescue in the event of a disaster, or a law and order issue so that we can collate all the information and address the issue swiftly.Now, have we infringed on the citizens’ privacy? No. These are public areas which are being surveilled. They are not intruding into any individual’s home.I can tell you that in limited areas where known rowdy sheeters reside, those places are cordoned and searches done, to serve as a deterrent. But, I don’t think any normal citizen has been stopped randomly and questioned. These are all backed by legislation, where we ensure that our cities, our streets, are kept safe. That is the intent.