KCR and prof. Kodandaram were instrumental in Telangana achieving statehood but are now on opposite sides, with the prof. tying up with Congress, TDP & CPI.
Bengaluru: If there is any state leader that K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the outgoing Telangana Chief Minister, fears, it is political activist-turned-politician Prof. M Kodandaram.
A former political science professor at Hyderabad’s Osmania University, Kodandaram was once the “ideological mentor” of the chief minister: He had headed the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) that Rao, also known as KCR, launched in 2009 when intensifying the protests to ensure statehood for Telangana.
The two, however, fell out once Telangana achieved statehood and KCR went on to become the chief minister. Kodandaram was sidelined in the state’s politics.
With the state now readying for assembly elections, the professor’s political career appears to have got a second lease of life. Kodandaram’s Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), the party he launched in March, is part of the Mahakutami (grand alliance) that the Congress has stitched together along with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Telangana.
Kodandaram is being projected as the man who could usher in change — the “Kejriwal of Telangana” — but with a difference. Political analysts point out that while Kejriwal is an urban phenomenon, Kodandaram is the product of a mass movement.
“A clean image, honesty and commitment are what make him a mass leader,” said a close associate of the professor who did not want to be named.
“After launching his own party, Kodandaram has been exposing KCR and how he has used the Telangana issue to benefit him and his family rather than the people of the state.”
Although differences have cropped up in the Mahakutami, particularly over seat sharing, political commentators in the state say the Congress has pulled off a coup in securing Kodandaram’s support.
“Prof. Kodandaram’s presence will lend enormous credence to the Mahakutami,” said Jinka Nagaraju, executive editor of the Telugu online news portal telugurajyam.com.
“Though he doesn’t have the electoral wherewithal, he has such a clean image that people will believe that he will at least ensure that the kutami doesn’t deviate from the core ideals of the “T” movement. That’s enough for the Congress and TDP,” he explained.
Also read: Congress joined hands with TDP in Telangana after online feedback from workers, voters
KCR vs professor
With the assembly elections just around the corner, proponents of the Mahakutami accuse KCR, chief of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), of forgetting the ideals of the Telangana movement and of converting it into a vote-seeking political tool.
They also accuse KCR of having taken all the credit for the movement’s success, overshadowing the efforts and the popularity of others such as Prof Kodandaram.
The professor’s supporters insist that he was the real leader of the Telangana movement as he helped in mobilising support in nearly every village. They say his activism and acceptability across various strata resuscitated the movement when KCR’s popularity had been flagging.
The supporters also say that even during the days of the movement, it was difficult for KCR to accept the professor’s growing popularity and so he began side-lining him.
The rift was out in the open once Telangana became a state. At a media briefing after the state formation, when KCR was asked what role the professor would play, he responded, “The role of a teacher is within the classroom. How long will he continue with the movement?”
Kodandaram says the rift widened as KCR “got autocratic”.
“Our rift was nothing personal. It is just that he is very autocratic,” the professor said. “He does not interact with civil society and cannot take criticism. He is intolerant to any form of criticism and if he finds it, he tries to suppress it or eliminate opposition altogether, whether it be civil society or a political party.”
The professor also said he did not feel that KCR had used him to launch his political career. “Ours was an interdependent relationship,” Kodandaram said. “Since we were fighting for Telangana, we collaborated with each other. A political party needs people mobilised and we did just that. And as a social movement, we required political support to expand our activities.”
The TRS too said it never used Kodandaram’s image to better its political prospects.
“He was never used. Kodandaram is definitely a part of the Telangana movement but he does not have a political base of his own. His going away was an unfortunate event,” said K. Keshav Rao, a senior TRS leader.
Rao added that it was Kodandaram who left the TRS.
“It is he who has distanced himself from the TRS when he realised that it was going political,” Rao said.
Also read: KCR’s performance in Telangana elections can offer lessons for Modi in 2019
@The print, ask your article writer to do some ground work and write on the topic . KCR and Kodandaram cannot be compared at all. While KCR is the leader of the masses, Kodandaram Reddy brought in the ugly casteist politics in Telangana , which was never before , with an aim to bring back the dirty Congress to power (he had been to USA and met Congress leaders there and joined hands with them)
All are freebies subsidies reservation loan waivers politicians, k’ram will be another footnote in history.