Amid Mounting Pressure, KCR Attends Telangana Assembly After Over a Year

After more than a year of absence, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President and Telangana Leader of Opposition (LoP) K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) attended the state Legislative Assembly session on Wednesday, compelled by mounting pressure. His appearance coincided with Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s address on the first day of the Budget Session, following Congress leaders’ demands to revoke his salary and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Telangana High Court.

KCR, who lost power to Congress in November 2023, has rarely attended sessions since. Welcomed warmly by BRS MLAs, he held a meeting at his chambers before joining the House. On Tuesday, he had rallied BRS legislators at Telangana Bhavan, urging them to confront the Congress government over unfulfilled election promises. “The government had 15 months to act; discontent is rising,” he claimed. However, his son, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, hinted KCR may skip sessions from Thursday, arguing his stature overshadows the Assembly’s current dynamics.

Congress leaders, including CM A. Revanth Reddy, have repeatedly criticized KCR’s absence. On Tuesday, Congress Corporator Daripally Raja Shekhar Reddy and others petitioned Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to withhold KCR’s salary. Concurrently, a PIL by D. Vijaypal Reddy of the Federation of Farmers Association urged the High Court to ensure KCR’s attendance, arguing his absence denies citizens a voice. The court asked the petitioner’s counsel to justify judicial oversight of this issue.

KCR’s brief return underscores the escalating political friction. While Congress presses for accountability, BRS defends his legacy, with Rama Rao asserting, “No Congress leader matches KCR’s stature.” As legal and political pressures converge, his future Assembly presence remains uncertain, spotlighting Telangana’s charged legislative landscape.