Ahead of the beginning of the Telangana state assembly winter session in two days, the ruling TRS seems to be worrying with the surfacing discontent among its legislators. Most of the legislators are seen maintaining low profile these days.
Particularly, party chief whip Koppula Eswar and whips Gampa Goverdhan, Nallala Odelu and Gongidi Sunitha remaining conspicuously silent these days. Unlike earlier they are not coming before media every day to counter opposition’s tirade against the ruling party.
Earlier, they used to be aggressive in challenging opposition’s allegations and also defending TRS government. But, nowadays chief whip and whips from Legislative Council are seen more active in news conferences and also TV channel debates. They are daily visiting legislature party office in Secretariat. Hardly assembly whips or MLAs are seen these days.
Many MLAs are said to be discontented with the glaring prominence MLCs are getting in party affairs. There is also discontent with abnormal delay in cabinet expansion.
It may be recalled that Koppula Eswar is a senior dalith leader in the party and has been associating with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao since starting of the Telangana agitation. He naturally expected berth in the first cabinet. When Chief Minister announced his intention to make one dalit as deputy chief minister, every one speculated his name only.
However, surprisingly he was kept aside. First T Rajaiah, later Kadiyam Srihar from dalits were made as deputy chief minister. Incidentally both of them joined TRS few months before 2014 polls and not seen active in Telangana agitation.
When Chief Minister announced him as Government’s Chief Whip, he had declined to take up. However, after persuasion from Chandrasekhar Rao, with a promise soon he would be included into the cabinet he turned submissive. Later at a public meeting in Karimnagar district, chief Minister himself announced that in the next cabinet expansion Eswar would be inducted into the cabinet. But, even after a year, no one knows when that will happens.
