It’s pink Tsunami in Hyderabad. It’s never-before-seen riot of Pink in Hyderabad. The city is basking in full in the thick of pink. It’s not ordinary Jaipur like sterile pink. Pink has a political meaning in Telangana. All junctions, road-side hoardings in vantage points have turned pink with beaming chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in the attire of typical of Hyderabad traditional Muslim aristocracy, waving at the continuously flowing humanity underneath. Pink, the official color of TRS, means the determination to capture power.
According to party sources, KCR stood erect on as many as 800 hoardings in Hyderabad. The Pink party has reportedly set a target of occupying 2000 hoardings out of 2400 available in the city. The visibility of KCR, who of late spends more time in his farm in Medak district rather than in Hyderabad the city of power, is felt everywhere. Though the TRS, riding on the wave of T-sentiment, swept to power with thumping majority in 2014 election, a sense of discomfiture has been visible in the party because ‘political’ Hyderabad is still out of bounds for the party.
True to form, the metropolitan city has never instilled confidence in the Pink Master that he would hoist the pink flag on the GHMC. He used every trick of trade to postpone the elections to Greater Hyderabad Corporation in order not to see a setback and finally had to give in to conduct polls following the strictures from the Court. He is summoning courage from all sources including by encouraging migrations from TDP and Congress, to conquer the GHMC. He thinks Hyderabad Muslims hold the trump card. So, overnight the hoardings with KCR in Sherwani and fur cap, normally worn by the Muslim Aristocracy in Hyderabad, have started springing up in all major junctions of the city. This shows the KCR’s determination to capture the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation at any cost.
KCR has rejigged the poll plank to suit the GHMC polls. His main plank for Muslims in 2014 was the implementation of 12 per cent quota in jobs, and admissions in colleges for Muslims. As he could not fulfill the promise, Congress is launching the un-kept promise as a missile to hit at KCR. So, KCR to counter the Congress campaign is now highlighting ‘Shadi Mubark’, a scheme of giving one-time financial assistance of Rs 51,000 to the bride’s family at the time of marriage to meet the marriage related expenses. Under the scheme a Telangana resident girl, over 18 years of age, belonging to Muslim community with a combined annual income of parents not exceeding Rs 2 lakh is eligible for the scheme. Each hoarding prominently displays the message of ‘Shadi Mubakar’. Here and there one could see other achievements of the TRS government such as uninterrupted power supply etc.
Even though the poll date has not been announced, TRS started occupying hoardings in all important junctions, to create a sense of invasion in the minds of people in Hyderabad. Already, the party is emboldened by the huge victory in the Warangal byelection, two weeks ago. That enthusiasm is clearly visible in painting Hyderabad Pink. The aim of this strategic move is to burn the idea in to the consciousness of the people that TRS has arrived in Hyderabad.
The situation is also turned congenial for the ruling party with Congress still trying to get its act together following some defection and wavering party Hyderabad chief Danam Nagender. TDP is also not in the pink of health after cash-for-vote disgrace and recent defection of Cantonment MLA G Sayanna. So, the TRS has launched a psychological warfare against the opposition parties by displaying this scary riot of pink in Hyderabad.
