The situation in Telangana, Hyderabad in particular, has been shaping up the way BJP would have desired. Has Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) walked into BJP’s trap? Is he perceived as too tough with the BJP and too soft towards the Majlis?
When Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke at a public meeting at Munugode on August 21st, he did not directly attack KCR or the TRS government. He was rather mild in his criticism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also did not utter the name of KCR or TRS in his address earlier at the end of the BJP National Executive meeting in the first week of July except saying that the people of Telangana are yearning for a double-engine government. Both the top leaders of the BJP chose to act instead of saying something against TRS government. Soon after Amit Shah landed in Delhi from Hyderabad last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was unleashed against some companies in Hyderabad. Prior to that, some BJP lightweights commented on MLC Kavitha’s alleged role in the so called liquor scam in Delhi.
Kavitha, KCR’s only daughter, should have kept quiet without allowing the ministers, MLAs and other TRS leaders to call on her to express solidarity. It unnecessarily attracted undue publicity. Nobody would believe the baseless allegations made by the BJP leaders in Delhi against Kavitha unless they are authentically established. Why give a non-issue so much hype? It suited the BJP.
KCR should have called Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand and told him he would have no nonsense in the wake of BJP MLA Raja Singh’s provocation. Law and Order is a subject with the chief minister. The Police Commissioner is capable of taking proper action in his own professional way. Raja Singh should have been served with an FIR first instead of straight away arresting him. Should he be arrested, that should have been done according to the rules after giving notice under Section 41A of CrPC. After the court ordered his release, on the ground that he was taken into custody without notice, Raja Singh showed thumps up sign and straight went to the BJP office.
On August 19, Raja Singh was placed under house arrest after he opposed the show by standup comedian Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad on August 20. Raja Singh remarked that the Hyderabad police helped the comedian to make his show successful. He alleged that Faruqui made certain remarks that hurt religious sentiments and used foul language against him. This was a deliberate attempt to show the comedian in poor light. The show went on peacefully.
Arresting Bandi Sanjay was avoidable altogether. He would have walked for two more days and concluded the programme with party’s national president JP Nadda addressing yet another public meeting. That would have passed without any significance. The arrest of the State BJP chief gave him more publicity and sympathy than he would have otherwise got. By arresting both Raja Singh and Bandi Sanjay, the TRS government has proved that it is too tough with the BJP leaders.
Had the police arrested the Majlis workers who created havoc in the middle of the night on Tuesday in their strongholds such as Shalibanda, Dabirpura and Chandrayanguta protesting against Raja Singh’s unprovoked statement, the impression would have been different. But the Majlis protestors were dealt with kid gloves. Lack of action on the part of the police in the old city of Hyderabad to prevent or control the demonstrations gave the impression that the government was too soft with the Majlis. It also suited the BJP.
NTR comes to mind in this kind of situations. In 1984 when Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was dealt with sternly by Anjaneya Reddy, the then DCP, South Zone, who was asked by Chief Minister NT Rama Rao not to spare anyone whoever he is and whichever party or faith he belongs to, things remained under control. Both Hindus and Muslims were acted upon. Since then there was no communal trouble in Hyderabad except the one allegedly orchestrated by politicians during N. Janardhan Reddy’s rule.
