Telangana welfare model is the catalyst for KCR's national politics

REVOLUTION is hard to come by if the circumstances are not ripe for it. This is a fact, well-documented in history. Even when there is a conducive climate, revolution may still remain sour grapes if the forces that should contribute to transformation are weak and in an inertiatic state. India's history is not without instances of powerful attempts to bring about change. Some of these endeavours have their own share of success.

The country witnessed Jayaprakash Narayan's resolve in uniting the entire opposition against Indira Gandhi. In almost similar attempts, leaders like NTR, Devi Lal and VP Singh provided the glue to combine the opposition parties against Rajiv Gandhi. Upping the ante against the Congress, a grouping took shape in 1998 with the coming-together of BJP, Samatha Party, AIADMK, Shiv Sena and other opposition entities. And not so long ago, the Congress and the Left parties took the lead to form a front of secular forces in the name of UPA to keep the BJP at bay.

Perhaps the one glaring exception from this bouquet of historical political realignments was the failure of an opposition buildup for an anti-Modi alternative in 2019. Cut to the present, this begs the question: Will a similar action plan, initiated by KCR, the architect of Telangana, eventually ooze with success or wither away? There are already many apprehensions swarming around this grand idea. There is no dearth of 'doubting Thomas'es pointing fingers at his credibility. Also, there is some whispered skepticism on the likely acceptance from the northern belt to KCR's big political push.

KCR is a plucky customer whose resolve is not merely driven by raw courage. He is well aware that his determined bid to position a potent alternative to Narendra Modi and BJP is fraught with challenges and thorns concealed under a bed of roses. In fact, it almost comes with a sense of déjà vu; the same set of apprehensions and suspicions that he faced at the beginning of his separate statehood crusade could return to haunt him again.

The way he painstakingly steered the movement through every crisis and overcame every hurdle will, in all probability, provide him the blueprint to try and repeat the same success mantra, this time on the national political landscape. He intends to use his novel schemes as his potent weapons for success. These very schemes, being efficiently implemented in Telangana, have earned him a new-found image as the pivot that turned a new-born state into a wealthy and welfare state in no time.

The policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre may have set many tongues wagging, day in and day out. But KCR was the first who showed the gumption to call for a 'BJP Mukt Bharat'. His reputation as a great strategist with a sharp political brain only showcases one half of his calibre. His great oratory skills coupled with the uncanny ability to strike the right chords with masses shows how good a communicator he is, on the flipside.

KCR's aspirations to unseat the Modi regime in Delhi is common knowledge by now. He has a roadmap and also a clear vision to make this possible. But communication skills are the most important vehicle that can take a leader's ideals into the public with ease. And KCR has these riches abundantly in him.

The TRS chief has raised several pertinent questions in a series of his recent public speeches. Moot points like "India, plagued by poverty even after 75 years of Independence, deserves a progressive agenda"; "Who is responsible for the failure to utilise vast natural resources and the hardworking great human resources?"; "Who should own the failure to steer the country out of woods and into prosperity?"; "the country needs a new direction, not a rollover hotch-potch of alliances after every five years" and "There needs to be a fundamental transformation in the lives of people, the country deserves a qualitative change" are a proof of the effective communication that he has been doing so naturally and effortlessly with the masses.

This precisely is an avenue that KCR seems to have made his own as he appears to stand out from the rest of the crowd – Be it Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin or Arwind Kejriwal, Sharad Pawar or HD Kumaraswamy or even Akhilesh Yadav.

KCR has also been equally adept in exposing the intricately woven communal agenda in easy ways. His tireless attempts to break it into smaller fragments for better comprehension by the man on the street is something that is not going unnoticed either.

"The discourse in the country is currently being swept away by a wave of communal frenzy. The agenda of those looking to stoke communal unrest and benefit from it is a dangerous sign for the country. This weird trend can cast its evil impact on foreign investments in our country. It will dry up the investment climate. What's worse, It will also jeopardise the existence of millions of NRIs around the world.

"We cannot let politics of hatred set our country back by a hundred years. There will be no compromise when it comes to safeguarding the interests of the people. Had it been the case, the dream of a separate Telangana would not have become possible. The Telangana agenda and its model of governance, which is ensuring all-round welfare and distributing the fruits of development to all of its populace, should be implemented across the country." This was a familiar refrain of KCR in the recent past which is perceived to have connected well with the public. This is KCR's communication skills at its very best and hard to emulate!

KCR has been critical of the policies of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government for some time now. His approach, questioning the Centre's ambiguity in policy-making or decisions that are detrimental to the state, are being viewed both as pragmatic and iconoclastic as well. No national leader of repute was more vocal than the TRS supremo when it came to clamouring about fiscal measures that were allegedly aimed at weakening the states. He was also the first in criticising the Modi regime's ploy of veiled taxation – robbing the states of their share by converting taxes into cess.

Power sector reforms is another area where Telangana refused to budge under the Centre's pressure, thanks to KCR's unflinching commitment to the welfare of the farming community. "By refusing to install electricity meters for agriculture, the state stands to lose Rs 25,000 crores in five years. Still, nothing supersedes the interests of the farmers and I will not allow the drastic power sector reforms in Telangana till my last breath," was how KCR responded to it recently, showing how far he is willing to go in stonewalling the Centre's pressure.

To be on a collision course with the BJP, the country at present not only needs leaders of the highest stature like Jayaprakash Narayana. Personalities like firebrand socialist leaders George Fernandes, Madhu Limaye and Madhu Dandavate besides staunch ideologues like Atal Bihari Vajpayee are also needed to emerge onto the national centrestage. There is already an ongoing debate on whether or not to equate KCR with such strong and iconic political figures of the past, showcasing his relevance in the current political scenario.

On his part, KCR appears to be treading the path laid by Jayaprakash Narayan, perhaps largely inspired by the transformation he could bring into politics using the socialist plank. The TRS chief's observations on the great socialist leader during his recent visit to Bihar could just be more than an indication to this effect.