The best of KCR -- II

[koustubbhargav]

The Pink Panther   

13 April 2009

It isn’t a good sign if the leader of the Telangana movement is at pains to convince the voters of Mahbubnagar that his heart throbs for them. KCR has been addressing the outsider question every day in his campaign so far. Today he was heard saying, rather picturesquely, that if a thorn got stuck in Mahbubnagar’s feet, he would remove it with his teeth. He also made a pledge that he would build a house there and hunker down for ever. And we thought he came here to lose. 

12 April 2009

Among the more unfortunate men who kept faith in KCR and got burnt is Rasamayi Balkishan, the incomparable singer with a magnetic stage manner. He’s the guy who gets the crowds to KCR’s shows.

Apparently, in a moment of grace, the Panther told the singer he was as dear as his own eyes. Baklkishan asked him straight up for an Assembly ticket. “Nee kantekkuvana, tammi?” said the Panther.

Buoyed by this promise from the big man himself, Balkishan, an engineer, quit his government job post haste. Finally, when the tickets were handed out and his name was not on the list, Balkishan had to hear an earful from his mother. It’s a sight to see the singer tell this tale with a smile on his face.

***

The noble Panther always stalks prey bigger than itself, never smaller. That’s the code of the jungle. At his Parkal show on Saturday, the crowd got restive with KCR’s repetitive one-liners against Congress Sonia and YSR. To give them a semblance of change, he took a swipe at Ponnala Laskhmaiah, whom he called ‘sannasi’ who provided ‘bandu melam’ when YS made a pokka to the Pothireddypadu project. The bored crowd demanded that he train his wits on somebody they know. “Konda Surekha, Surekha,” they shouted. Now, that’s enough! “Oh, be quiet!” growled the Panther. “Don’t make heroes of small fry. It’s pointless to talk about people who will be blown away by my breath.” Such spirit in that breath.

***

If there were a poll to name the Houdini of this election, KCR will win without a contest. No one can wriggle out of a verbal tangle than the Motormouth. Four days ago, he said voting for the CPI’s Chada Venkat Reddy in Husnabad Assembly was as good as throwing the voter in the mori. “CPI ku vote eshi morila padeshe bajaye, mana Lakshmikantha Reddy ku este manchidi,” he said. The CPI was not pleased by these words coming from an alleged ally. Chada Venkata Reddy is their floor leader in the Assembly and the little communist party cannot afford to succumb to friendly fire. General secretary K Narayana raised a stink over the mori comment, and KCR was called upon to use his verbal dexterity. He said, “Nenatla anale. Kondaru CPI ku votu veshi, kondaru TRS ku veste, Congress gelustadi. Gappudu vote nu morila poshinatte aitadi. Gadi anna nenu.”

April 10 2009 

The question why the Panther is prowling in Mahbubnagar instead of his own in-laws’ lair in Karimnagar refuses to go away despite his ardent explanation yesterday. Now it’s become an itch he just has to scratch. Today he was at it again. So why is he in Mahbubnagar? Because he was commanded by the Telangana ideologue Prof. Jayashankar. Since when has KCR begun to heed anyone, leave alone his supporters among the Telangana intelligentsia? Oh, come on! It’s just an explanation that’s got live but a day. Tomorrow is another explanation.

***

There was more yellow in the crowd than pink at all Mahakutami public meetings in Mahbubnagar so far. That’s a clear indication that the Panther will need Chandrababu Naidu’s august auspices to gain the outcome of his choice. He can’t even lose of his own volition now, because that’s in the TDP chief’s control. 

9 April 2009

Whispers of his desire to lose in Mahbubnagar seem to have reached the Panther's ears. At the Mahakutami do in Mahbubnagar today, he addressed the conspiracy theories. Apparently he's spoken in such far outposts as Adilabad, Khammam and Nalgonda and brought out 360 promotional CDs on his dream of a separate Telangana and in all of those labours Mahbubnagar was present as an ache in his heart. So he begged his present boss man Chandrababu Naidu that he be given a chance to serve Mahbubnagar. The cards are stacked against him. The pink party has no presence in the drought-prone district. It contested one Assembly segment, Jagtial, in the last election, and lost it. But KCR is not one to be deterred by defeat. He'd rather court a drubbing than be cowed.

***

KCR is speaking well but one does notice that he is not trying to stoke passions. He is being sardonic without being wicked. That's not the KCR we know. All that he came up with about YSR today was "nannu soodu, naa andam soodu." He speaks like he does not want to hurt too much. And in his references to Chandrababu Naidu, he continues to be ingratiating. Babugaru, who meets praise and scorn alike with a scowl, did not seem too comfortable.

8 April 2009

The topic being discussed in undertones in KCR's party is the **-for-tat between CPI and the TRS. KCR's gone and put up a strong candidate in Husnabad, officially allotted to the CPI within the Mahkutami. And CPI has done the same thing in Siricilla, where KCR's son K Taraka Rama Rao is fighting his first election. This is serious. KCR touched the CPI to the quick by telling the voters of Husnabad that a vote for the poor-cousin communist party is a vote in the gutter.

In response, CPI has gone for the jugular. Its aim in spoiling the chances of Rama Rao is to nip any plans KCR has of positioning his wimp son for the deputy chief minister's post should the Mahakutami win a majority. Almost no one in the TRS wants Rama Rao to be the deputy chief minister. Not least Harish Rao, KCR's charismatic nephew. It is very possible that should anything like that happen, Harish is likely to jump ship, as he indicated when he went to meet the chief minister freshly after winning the Siddipet byelection last year.

***

TRS has no manifesto. But it has KCR. He has only one programme, separate Telangana, and so has no need to spell out things he will never have to do. So the ideas spinning in his fertile mind will be lent to other parties. As he has done with the cash transfer scheme. He says it was he who thought up the cash-for-vote scheme. Just as he did the Janmabhoomi programme launched by Naidu during his tenure. Naidu has been going round telling people it was his World Bank-returned son Lokesh who researched the cute dole-out after touring Brazil.

6 April 2009

At long last, KCR has made a beginning in Election 2009. At Suryapet today, KCR showed signs of warming up to his vicious best when he began his speech by calling YS a 'nararupa rakhsasudu'. The context was KCR's contention that the naxalites were lured into peace talks and led into a trap by the YSR government. Nararupa rakshasudu. That's not the worst KCR can come up with but it's a beginning.Then he followed it up with a good upper cut: "YS anni cheshinda, meshinda?" And then another: "Oda daate daka Oda Mallaiah. Oda daatintarvata Boda Mallaiah."But then the Motormouth of Siddpet tapered off. That's because he turned to praise of Chandrababu Naidu. Now KCR the prashasti poet is not the same as the wicked court jester. That's why KCR is at his best when he has enemies and not friends.The rest of KCR's speech was all about how Babu Garu did that and Babu Garu did that other. OK, it was a warm up and we will wait for him to really get going.

***

But even a downbeat KCR was clearly the superior speaker at Suryapet. He was fluent, held the attention of the crowd like a compelling storyteller and turned phrases without falling all over them. He spoke as if speaking to an individual. Oddly enough, the speech was short on Telangana spiel and long on Chandrababu's Naidu's achievements. Is it possible that KCR does not want to raise the stakes too high?