Telangana: Shunning KCR’s policy, Revanth seeks cordial approach with Centre

Telangana chief minister A Revanth has brought the state back on the rails of mainstream politics. After five years, a Telangana chief minister is again engaging with the Central government in New Delhi.

On July 4, he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Between 2018 and 2023, such meetings were unthinkable as previous chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao boycotted the Centre.

After his meetings with Modi and Shah, Revanth Reddy said Telangana suffered due to KCR’s failure to get Central funds.

'KCR harmed state's interests'

“KCR, in order to make only Kaleswaram, Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha visible to the people, ignored other development and had never sought to avail funds from Centrally-sponsored schemes. He harmed the state interests,” the chief minister said.

He added that his priority was to restore the federal relationship between Telangana and the Centre and make New Delhi a partner in the state’s development. He also said he had put an end to politics once the elections were over.

True to his words, though facing bitter rivalry with the BJP in Telangana, Revanth Reddy, from Day 1, has been advocating Centre-state partnership in matters of development.

Called Modi 'elder brother'

To make his intent public, at a function on March 4, he praised the Prime Minister as ‘peddanna’ (elder brother) and sought liberal funding as being offered to the Gujarat model.

In fact, his friendly gestures towards the Centre began much earlier. In December 2023, along with deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, he called on Modi, for the first time after the November Assembly elections, to present a wishlist of pending projects.

Later, in January, he had a face-to-face meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In February, NITI Ayog Vice-chairman Suman Beri came calling on Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad asking him to put an end to the hostile attitude towards the Centre.

Revanth seeks NITI Ayog allocation

Reddy requested the NITI Ayog to consider increased allocation for the state by the 16^th Finance Commission and more funds for developing infrastructure facilities in the health and education sectors.

The chief minister also requested the NITI Ayog to release pending funds of Rs 1,800 crore, with respect to the Backward Districts Development Grant, as per Section 94(2) of AP Reorganization Act, 2014.

Such meetings were unheard of between the state government and the Centre during KCR’s second stint when he was dreaming of becoming a rallying point for the alternative front at the Centre.

Telangana wants an IIM

Revanth Reddy has also urged the prime minister to allocate two coal blocks earmarked for auction to Telangana’s Singareni coal mines to meet the state’s power generation demands. He sought cooperation from Amit Shah to resolve the long-pending issues incorporated in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014.

Revanth Reddy was very particular about setting up an Indian Institute in Management (IIM) in Hyderabad and revival of Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) which was initially approved in 2010 and stalled in 2014.

The chief minister requested the sanction of 25 lakh houses for Telangana under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana. He also urged Modi to include the state in the proposed Semiconductor Mission.

In his meeting with Amit Shan, the Chief Minister requested the extension of Security-Related Expenditure (SRE) to the districts of Adilabad, Mancherial and Kumar Bheem-Asifabad district.

During his second stint as chief minister, KCR gave an impression that all issues would be resolved only when he heads the government at the Centre. He chose confrontation and avoided Modi as a political strategy.

He used to tell the people how he would implement the Rythu Bharosa Scheme and free power to agriculture all across the country if a BRS-led government was formed at the Centre. Meeting Modi and other ministers with memoranda for more funds for the state was considered below his stature.

KCR’s dreams shattered

The phase of confrontation began when KCR started deluding to become alternative to Prime Minister Modi at the Centre by rallying all non-Congress and non-BJP opposition parties in the name of a Federal Front in 2018. It failed to take off.

The return of Modi in 2019 with renewed vigour put paid to KCR’s national plans and widened the gulf between him and Modi. KCR stopped visiting New Delhi. Later he boycotted the meetings of the National Development Council. After the formation of Bharata Rashtra Samiti, KCR further hardened his stand toward the Centre and stopped even receiving the prime minister as per protocol during his official visits.

He feigned ill health whenever Modi arrived in Hyderabad. But unfortunately, everybody started suspecting BRS as the B team of BJP. This stigma haunted him like a ghost till his defeat in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Now, chief minister Ravanth Reddy wants to reverse KCR policy in favour of cooperation. This would help him tell people how KCR’s approach harmed the state.

Political strategy

Revanth Reddy’s line is in tune with the ideals of a national party like the Congress, said Prof Aldas Janaiah, a political commentator from Hyderabad.

In Janaiah’s view, the Congress leader is pursuing the path of cooperative federalism which came to fore during UPA-2. Politically speaking, tomorrow Revanth Reddy can blame the Centre for not releasing funds despite his best efforts, he added. “This is a double-edged weapon,” Janaiah said.

Poor finances

“KCR wanted to project himself as a challenger to Modi to impress the party cadre that he was prime ministerial material. This false equation denied him an opportunity to meet the prime minister or Union ministers to seek funds for the state. He used to say he would develop the entire country if BRS formed the government at the Centre. But it has finally misfired,” Dr Janaiah, an agriculture economist, told The Federal.

This strategy is essential for the Congress government which is hamstrung by the poor finances of the state, Janaiah said.