Hyderabad: TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao’s granddaughter N. Venkata Suhasini, who is contesting the Telangana Assembly election from Kukatpally constituency in Greater Hyderabad, is banking on her lineage.

The presence of Suhasini in the electoral fray in Telangana is significant as the top leadership of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved to Andhra Pradesh following the bifurcation of the undivided state.

TDP has fielded Suhasini, daughter of former Minister N. Harikrishna, who died in a road accident this year.

Suhasini, 43, is a social activist and is banking on her lineage to win the election from this prestigious constituency, which has considerable a number of voters with their roots in Andhra Pradesh.

However, the family of the late actor-turned-politician NTR stands divided in the campaigning.

Suhasini’s aunt and Union Minister N. Purandeswari hit the campaign trail in Kukatpally not for her niece but for M. Kantha Rao, the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Purandeswari, daughter of NTR, was a Minister in the UPA government but she quit the Congress party and joined the BJP after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP, which is part of opposition grand alliance led by the Congress, is contesting 13 seats in the December 7 election to the 119-member Telangana Assembly.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu is expected to campaign for Suhasini. Naidu is the son-in-law of NTR.

Paritala Sunita, a Minister in Naidu’s cabinet, was in the constituency to conduct road shows in support of Suhasini.

NTR’s actor son and TDP legislator N. Balakrishna has already announced that he will campaign for his niece. Suhasini’s brothers and popular actors Junior NTR and Kalyan Ram are also likely to address meetings in her support.

Suhasini’s cousin Taraka Ratna, also an actor, is campaigning for her.

Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has fielded M. Krishna Rao, who won the 2014 elections from here on TDP ticket but later joined the ruling party. Interestingly, Krishna Rao’s brother Kantha Rao is the BJP candidate.

Kukatpally is like a mini-India with people belonging to various states and communities settled here. About 60 percent of the people have their roots in Andhra Pradesh.

The YSR Congress Party, which is the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, is not contesting the polls in Telangana. However, the party has declared its support to the TRS in Kukatpally.

As TDP is contesting the election in alliance with the Congress, the former hopes that the transfer of Congress votes will brighten Suhasini’s prospects.

In 2014, the TDP had bagged the seat with a margin of nearly over 43,000 votes. However, the equations have changed in the constituency with the deletion of 1.31 lakh voters after verification by the election authorities. The constituency now has 3.30 lakh voters.

Kodangal (Telangana): Calling the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) the “B-team” of Sangh Pariwar, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused it of helping the Modi government to prevent the Congress from ousting the BJP at the Centre.

Gandhi accused the Telangana government led by K. Chandrashekar Rao of failing to keep its promises and appealed to the people to vote for the Congress, claiming that only his party can ensure development in the state.

“When we were fighting over land acquisition bill in Parliament, TRS was helping BJP. TRS helped RSS and Modi in every bill. TRS is not Telangana Rashtra Samithi, it is Telangana Rashtra Sanghpariwar. It is the ‘B-team’ of Sangh Pariwar. TRS’ aim is that Congress should not oust the BJP at the national level,” Gandhi told a public rally organised by the four-party People’s Front led by Congress.

He said whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi did against Dalits, tribals and minorities in the country, it would not have been possible without the support of KCR.

Gandhi said that when Telangana state was formed, it had Rs 17,000 crore surplus budget but in four years TRS had put a burden of Rs 2 lakh crore debt on the state.

“Every family in the state has a debt of Rs 2 lakh and every citizen has a debt of 60,000 but in these four years KCR’s income has gone up by 400 percent.”

Gandhi accused the KCR-led government of giving employment to his family members while failing to give jobs to crore of unemployed youths.

“How many people got employment in the last four years of KCR? He only gave employment to four people of his family who snatched the employment of four crore people in the state. What did he do for the women who are the backbone of the state?”

He said that after coming to power in the state, the People’s Front will provide a grant of Rs 1 lakh to every women self-help group. Women entrepreneurs will be provided Rs 500 crore bank loans, he added.

“KCR promised to provide 22 lakh double bedroom houses. But the reality is only 5,000 houses have been built. He promised land to SC/ST which has turned out to be a hollow promise.”

If the Congress came to power, Gandhi said people would get land and houses. “Our Chief Minister will give youths employment or Rs 3,000 allowance. In the first year, our government will give employment to 1 lakh youths in private and government sectors.”

Gandhi assured people free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and said a 30-bed hospital would be set up in each “Mandal”. The state is set for Assembly polls on December 7.

He alleged that the projects started by Congress were redesigned by KCR. He cited the example of Pranahita Chevella project, whose name was changed to Kaleswaram and its cost revised from Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 90,000 crore.

Gandhi said the People’s Front government would fulfill the dream of ‘water, funds and jobs’ which people of Telangana had desired at the time of formation of the state.

The Congress President said they would defeat KCR in Telangana and Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He exuded confidence that the BJP will be defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh too.

Khammam (Telangana): A meeting of non-BJP parties will be held on December 10 to form a front against the BJP-led NDA, said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday.

Addressing an election rally along with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, he said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Congress and other parties will meet to form the front against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Urging all non-BJP parties to join the proposed front, he asked Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and its ally Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) to spell out where they stand.

Terming the upcoming meeting as historic, Naidu said the TDP and Congress fought each other for 37 years but have now come together for the sake of the country and democracy.

Naidu, whose party pulled out of NDA in March, said the country suffered under Narendra Modi’s rule.

He alleged that democracy was under threat as all institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax, Reserve Bank of India and even governor’s office were undermined.

Stating that demonetization failed to curb black money and ATMs and banks ran out of cash, the TDP chief blamed Modi for this situation. He also slammed Modi for not properly implementing Goods and Services Tax (GST) and said this affected economic growth.

Naidu voiced concern over growing intolerance in the country and said a sense of insecurity was created among Muslims and Dalits. “Political rivals are being raided for speaking against the government.”

The TDP chief told the gathering that he never opposed the formation of Telangana and rubbished allegations by TRS that he was working against the interests of Telangana.

He assured the people that he will always strive to work for the interests of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu wondered why TRS President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was targeting him.

“I can’t understand this. Is it justified? What is the wrong I have done?”

Pointing out that the TRS chief began his political career in TDP, Naidu said without the TDP there would have been no KCR.

Recalling how he built ‘Cyberabad’, the information technology hub in Hyderabad, Naidu said Telangana had potential to be number one in the country.

He said Telangana had surplus budget and all the opportunities but during four years of TRS rule the state was burdened with huge debts.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi seems to have realised that he has to bring some novelty in his speeches during the ongoing electioneering in Telangana, rather than making routine rhetoric.

So, he is coming out with at least some innovation every day to attract people. On Wednesday, Rahul described Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as Telangana Rashtriya Sangh Parivar, as the latter had a secret understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing a meeting at Kodangal, the Congress president rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that TRS was hand in glove with the Congress.

“In fact, the TRS has been supporting the NDA government in every occasion. It supported every single bill that the communal BJP has introduced in both the house of the Parliament. When we are fighting for the land acquisition bill, TRS helped Modi and there after all the bills. This is not TRS, but Telangana Rashtriya Sangh Parivar,” he said.

Rahul said that when he had confronted TRS MPs and asked them why they supported the bills introduced by BJP, they told him that KCR had asked them to do so.

“I want to know why KCR never said anything about Rafael deal, attacks on minorities and the weaker sections,” he asked.

The Congress president said there was clear wind of change in Telangana and said that the current wave would decimate TRS.

“This time the People‘s Front will come into power in Telangana,” he said.

He assured voters particularly the migrant labour, that the Congress led alliance will full the dreams of those who fought for Telangana.

Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is notorious for changing his stand on any issue whenever it suits him politically, proved it once again at the Maha Kootami public meeting held at Khammam on Wednesday.

He made a desperate attempt to claim that he was not against Telangana formation and in fact, the new state was dearer to him.

“Telangana state has been my favourite place and the people here are closer to my heart,” he said.

And to everybody’s surprise, Naidu shouted slogans thrice: “Jai Telangana, Jai Telangana and Jai Telangana.”

He refuted the allegation levelled by TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao that the TDP had been conspiring to stall irrigation projects in Telangana.

“In fact, several irrigation projects took shape during my regime. Andhra Pradesh is a lower riparian state. How can my government stall the irrigation projects upstream? I only wanted that both the states should go by the Godavari and Krishna water tribunal recommendations, so that it would benefit people on either side,” he explained.

Naidu sought to gain sympathy of people by saying that he was being abused by KCR for no fault of him.

“What mistake have I committed? I leave it to wisdom. My culture comes in the way of me giving a retort to him,” he said.

He said the TDP was fighting for self-respect of the Telugu people.

“My only wish is that the Telugu people should remain united despite belonging to two states. I have no interest whatsoever in ruling Telangana,” he said.