Both, municipal administration and IT minister KT Ramarao, and Irrigation minister T Harish Rao deny that there has been no race for supremacy between them. Media regularly grill KTR and Harish Rao on who is the political successor of KCR and they regularly deny having caught up in the race for one-upmanship to claim KCR political inheritance.
But, their media managers are struggling to keep one ahead of the other in their performance. This competition to present themselves as a most successful leader before the people of Telangana is a pointer to the hidden race for one-upmanship between the son (KTR) and nephew (Harish Rao) of chief minister KCR. Two recent media reports about their success at national level demonstrate how fierce is the battle between them, invisible though.
KT Ramarao
One February 4, Panchayat Raj and IT Minister K T Rama Rao came in for a praise at a national conclave on drinking water and sanitation organized as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan held in New Delhi. KTR spin doctors ensured that the event was fully covered by the media. The conference was organised by the Ministry concerned to take stock of the ground realities in different states in the country in this regard.
An articulate, naturally Rama Rao made a power point presentation detailing the flagship program of Telangana, Mission Bhagiratha’s salient features and his government’s drinking water supply initiatives. The presentation narrated the effective coordination mechanisms put in place both at State and district levels. This according to media reports came in for loud applause as the contents were crisp and lucid.
The media reports said the Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Birendra Singh congratulated the ‘young and dynamic Minister’ after the presentation and said it was one of the best ever PowerPoint Presentations which was ‘better than that of the bureaucrats’. This was widely covered in Telangana state.
T Harish Rao
Not to be lag behind, exactly one month after, media managers of Harish Rao fed a success story of Irrigation minister to the media yesterday. According to the reports Harish pulled off a major achievement in New Delhi and earned accolades at national level. The reports said Harish Rao drew national attention, when his highly practicable and sound recommendations with regard to preparing a road map for grounding of 46 irrigation projects across the country were well received with ovation.
Majority of the suggestions put forth by Harish Rao were taken into consideration by Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati at the seminar held at Vignan Bhavan in New Delhi on “Integrated approach for sustainable water management”as part of Prime Minister Krishi Sachai Yojana (PMKSY),
Inspired by the suggestions, the reports said, the Union Minister had constituted a committee and Harish Rao was appointed its member.
The importance of the national level recognition is that committee is holding its first-ever meeting in New Delhi on Saturday and Harish Rao will be participating as a member. The committee will prepare a road-map to complete 46 irrigation project identified by the Centre.
Compare the two media reports of success stories: KTR and Harish spoke in the meetings organized as part of implementation of Prime Minister’s programs. They both took place in New Delhi and both are national level meetings. In both conferences, union ministers praised the talents of KTR and Harish. They both were taken as role models.
Doesn’t it look like a race between the son and nephew ministers of chief minister KCR?
