Who is the biggest gainer in the Etela episode? If TRS insiders are to be believed, KCR’s nephew and Finance Minister T Harish Rao is the biggest gainer in the whole episode. Now, Harish has managed to win the confidence of KCR and has now emerged as the to-go man to counter Etela’s strategies.
Prior to Etela episode, Harish Rao could not charm his way into KCR’s inner circle. The information about the Bengaluru meeting of Etela Rajender and another meet of Jagadish Reddy were reportedly broken to KCR by Harish Rao. Party insiders say that the information was very valuable for KCR to checkmate Etela Rajender and corner him. KCR’s moves left Etela with no contingency plan and he was quickly sacked from the party. That Etela took such a long time to respond to KCR’s moves itself shows how helpless he is. Party insiders also say that it is this helplessness that unwillingly drove him into the arms of the BJP.
Left to himself Etela would not have joined the BJP, which is ideologically unsuitable for him, and would have preferred to form a new party. He could not join the Congress as the people were not viewing the party as an alternative. Thus Etela was helpless and was forced to join hands with the BJP. Both he and the BjP know that this is going to be a difficult relationship.
In this whole episode, Harish made big gains. Now, he has been given the responsibility of politically defeating Etela in Huzurabad. Now, he is camping in Huzurabad to ensure that Eatela’s support base is weakened. If he manages to defeat Etela in the upcoming Huzurabad bypolls, he can walk away with crowning glory.