HYDERABAD: Cousins and TRS leaders KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao on Thursday put an end to rumours of a rift within party supremo KCR’s family in an apparent bid to keep the pink party’s vote bank intact in the run-up to the Assembly elections.“We grew up like brothers. We compete with each other only for the development of the State.
We are working to see KCR as the Chief Minister for the next 15 years,” the IT Minister and the Irrigation Minister said after a joint meeting, scotching speculations of the latter being sidelined to make Rama Rao the Chief Minister after the Assembly elections. Harish Rao had recently announced that he wouldn’t think twice about working under Rama Rao.
Both leaders put their political harmony on display for the first time in the last four years when Harish Rao attended a’ meeting in Hyderabad with party workers from Sircilla Assembly segment, currently represented by KTR. During the meet, KTR said, “People talk and how! Some even claim that we have differences, but that’s untrue. Both of us have a single aim: That KCR remain Chief Minister. That is our dream,” Rama Rao said to applause from Harish Rao. He added that it was indeed a rare situation for cousins to be part of the same Cabinet and recalled the days he spent at Harish Rao’s during their childhood.
On Harish Rao’s suggestion that Sircilla majority too should cross the winning majority of Siddipet, Rama Rao said: “Our target is not Siddipet. Vaari target vaaridi. It is very difficult to cross Siddipet’s mark.”
“Both Sircilla and Siddipet Assembly segments are competing with each other in terms of development programmes. I have been continuing the development yagam taken up by Chandrasekhar Rao in Siddipet Assembly segment. He and I have put in 30 tireless years of effort for the development of Siddipet, but KT Rama Rao has done the same for Sircilla segment in four years,” Harish Rao complimented KTR.
“KTR has simultaneously balanced touring several countries to attract investments and putting Sircilla on the development path. I am sure that he will win by a huge margin in Sircilla. Both Sircilla and Siddipet should compete with each other for majority. KTR should also secure a positive margin of one lakh in Sircilla this time,” Harish Rao said.
The people of the area once notorious for high suicides numbers, now weave Bathukamma sarees for Telangana’s daughters, he said.“Kaleshwaram Water and Textile Park will change the face of Sircilla in the coming days. The credit for the development goes entirely to KTR,” Harish Rao said, heaping praise on his cousin.
“Recently, when I visited Sircilla I witnessed the developments of roads and dividers. I immediately called up Siddipet municipal chairman and directed him to learn from Sircilla. Let us compete for development,” Harish Rao said. The IT Minister in turn thanked Harish Rao for addressing Sircilla TRS workers and said the Irrigation Minister was racing against time to complete Kalehswaram Project.