HYDERABAD: Even as BJP leaders cried foul over the ‘nexus between MIM and TRS’ in the GHMC Mayor elections, the pink party took the support of the former to get its candidates voted to the top posts of the civic body.
The new Mayor of Hyderabad is G Vijaya Lakshmi, the daughter of TRS secretary-general K Keshava Rao, and the Deputy Mayor is M Srilatha Reddy. Interestingly, soon after the election, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted: “Appreciate TRS for offering us Deputy Mayor’s post,” indicating that though the TRS had offered the post to the party, he declined it.
The TRS and MIM had fought the GHMC election as political rivals, with the former’s working president KT Rama Rao even wanting the people to defeat the latter’s candidates. This was a departure from tradition as both the parties were known to be thick allies. But after the polls, the TRS offered the Deputy Mayor post to the MIM which turned it down and instead, supported the pink party’s candidates in the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections.
BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who was quick to react to this, tweeted: “The shady relationship between TRS and MIM is exposed.” “They love each other in the dark but in public they say they have no alliance. The BJP is the only party pursuing politics with ethics,” he said. Though, Sanjay Kumar alleged that the GHMC’s steering would be in the hands of the MIM, Asaduddin tweeted: “Congratulations to the newly elected Mayor & Deputy Mayor of GHMC. Hope that under their leadership, Hyderabad will be taken to new heights”.
In his tweet, Owaisi further said: “(Hope that) public works will be actively taken up in areas that need them the most, including Old City of Hyderabad. I hope that GHMC will carry out its works with honesty & financial propriety. Also appreciate TRS for offering us Deputy Mayor’s post” (sic).
Veteran actress and leader Vijayashanti termed the TRS and MIM as “siamese twins”. But, TRS leader Krishank Manne recalled that the BJP and Congress had an alliance in the Makthal and Manikonda civic bodies and shared the posts there. “Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are women and belong to the TRS. The BJP should not belittle the leadership of the women,” he said.
Mayor, Dy Mayor call on KCR
When Vijaya Lakshmi and Srilatha Reddy called on K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan later in the day, the Chief Minister directed them to work hard towards enhancing Hyderabad’s image. “These are testing times wherein even if you are good, charges are levelled against you. Even if you relax for a while, you will earn a bad name. Hence, act with caution,” he told them.
He advised them to read the poem, ‘Galli Chinnadi.. Garibolla Katha Peddadi’ (the street is narrow but the problems of the poor living in it are huge), penned by Gorati Venkanna. “Mayors and Corporators should visit bastis, understand the plight of the people there, come to the rescue of the poor. This should be your aim and objective. The government will launch programmes to develop Hyderabad. Support them and cooperate with them,” KCR told them.
Recognition to KK
The TRS handpicking Vijaya Lakshmi as Mayor is nothing but recognition to its general-secretary K Keshava Rao’s services to the party. Keshava Rao joined the TRS from Congress in support of the separate Telangana Statehood movement.
Meanwhile, the State Munnuru Kapu Sangham would soon meet the Chief Minister and thank him for allocating first and second Mayor posts to Munnur Kapus after the formation of Telangana state, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar said.
Mayor vows to keep women in city safe
Gadwal Vijaya Lakshmi is a law graduate who worked as a research assistant at Duke University, US for over two decades. Vijaya Lakshmi was elected as Corporator for the first time in 2016 from the Banjara Hills division.
“I feel very proud. I thank Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and State Industries Minister KT Rama Rao for choosing women for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. We have seen a lot of development so far. There are so many things I want to focus on. Be it roads, drainage any issue, every single concern will be addressed. As a woman, I promise women will have safety. I have a vision,” Vijaya told the media after she got elected.
“I have seen a Telangana statehood agitation from the beginning,” Srilatha Shoban Reddy, who was elected as Deputy Mayor, said. She too thanked the CM and his son KTR for rewarding her for her hard work.