TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's 'emotional outburst' that if TRS loses elections, he would losing nothing personally but Telangana state will suffer seems to have backfired.
His statement that he would go back home, take rest and do farming if TRS loses, has set alarm bells ringing among TRS leaders and cadre.
His comments a day ahead of Sonia's first visit to Telangana has sent a message that KCR fears Sonia and conceded defeat even before the elections. With this, KCR went on a damage control mode.
He took feedback from party's senior leaders and key activists which indicated that his comments caused more damage to TRS than the Mahakutami's collective campaigning.
KCR vowed not to make 'retirement announcements' in future election meetings and stick to his common utterance of TRS winning 100-plus seats hands down and projecting elections as fight between TRS and "Andhra" Chandrababu.
However, what prompted KCR to make such statement has become a subject of hot debate.
Fingers are pointed at his son KTR for making repeated statements in all meetings that he will take 'sanyas' if TRS loses.
TRS party sources say KCR too seemed to have affected KTR's retirement plans, became emotional and uttered same words in the meetings held in erstwhile Adilabad disrict on Thursday.