If the reports from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) circles are to be believed, party president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to nominate his nephew and Siddipet legislator T Harish Rao as the deputy floor leader of the party in the state assembly.
According to these reports, Harish Rao will act as a de facto floor leader in the House, coordinating with the party MLAs and taking on the ruling Congress party on issues concerning the state.
Technically, KCR will be the leader of the opposition, but it appears he is not interested in coming to the assembly.
“Apparently, KCR feels insulted to sit in the opposition benches, facing chief minister A Revanth Reddy. He still thinks Revanth Reddy has no stature to become the chief minister,” sources said.
So, it will be Harish Rao who will act as the floor leader in the House.
Surprisingly, the BRS president did not pick up his son K T Rama Rao as his deputy, though the latter is also a capable leader who can counter the Congress effectively.
Maybe, KCR doesn’t want KTR to be projected as No. 2 in the party, because he is said to be of the view that his nephew is more reliable than his son.
There were reports that KTR squarely blamed his father for being responsible for the defeat of the party in the recent assembly elections.
In the recent assembly session, Harish Rao put up a spirited defence during the discussion on irrigation projects, particularly, on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Being an irrigation minister, Harish Rao has a better understanding about Kaleshwaram than KTR.
Interestingly, KTR was not seen doing much of the talking in the assembly. He did not take active part in the proceedings. He has left the floor for Harish Rao.