Telangana minister KTR made some adverse comments on Andhra Pradesh, which attracted the ire of the ruling party leaders here. The ruling YSR Congress leaders, including ministers, took strong exception to KTR’s comments.

Though KTR responded to these reactions late in the night he neither withdrew them nor even expressed regrets. He only called his comments as innocuous and not intentional. Whether his comments were unintentional or not harmful, the comments and his reaction proved that he made his comments with an intention.

KTR tweeted in the midnight stating that his innocuous comments pained some of his friends from AP. He admitted that he has a healthy relationship with AP government and chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. But he was silent on the pain that his friends from AP were feeling!

All this shows that KTR was aiming at the TDP vote bank in Telangana to support the TRS in the next general election. The TDP welcomes whoever criticises Jagan Mohan Reddy government and thus KTR’s comment too was welcomed and used by the TDP in AP and Telangana against the YSR Congress regime.

By neither withdrawing his comments nor regretting, KTR seems to have sent an olive branch to the TDP ranks in Telangana to support TRS in the 2023 general elections. If he does this way to get the TDP votes, KTR is missing the reality that he would miss the YSR Congress votes.

Comparatively, the YSR Congress has more supporters and sympathisers in Telangana than the TDP. All the TDP ranks have migrated to different parties, particularly after the bifurcation of the state. The TRS and the YSR Congress have healthy relations now and by targeting Jagan, KTR will certainly miss the Reddy vote bank in Telangana.