For the last couple of months, there has been a serious talk in the political circles that Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is going to step down soon and anoint his son K T Rama Rao as the next chief minister.
Several ministers openly made statements stating that KTR, who is presently the working president of TRS, has all the qualities of becoming the chief minister and wished that he would soon succeed his father.
During the latest press conference after the municipal election results, KCR did not seriously condemned these rumours but laughed them off, saying it could be the desire of some ministers. He said there was a time for everything.
However, the latest rumour that is doing rounds in the TRS circles in districts is that KCR will not directly anoint his son as the chief minister, but first will make him the Deputy Chief Minister, so that he will be given the No. 2 position in the cabinet.
“This will give KTR an authority to hold the fort in the absence of his father. He will get the power to conduct official meetings; if required, even cabinet meetings, while KCR will gradually keep himself away from the official functioning. So, for all practical purposes, KTR will be the head of the government, though KCR continues to be the chief minister for nominal purposes,” a party source said.
But this talk is also being rejected by some party leaders.
“Where is the need to give deputy chief minister post to KTR, when he is already acting like a de facto chief minister? He is already enjoying all the protocol facilities. And nobody can stop him from conducting review meetings on any department right now. All the officials are reporting to KTR directly,” another TRS leader said.
He feels that giving Dy CM post to KTR is, in fact, a matter of insult as it was held in the past by other leaders like Mahmood Ali, T Rajaiah and Kadiam Srihari.
“In my view, KTR should be directly made the chief minister, if not now, but in the coming days. There is no hurry,” the TRS leader said.