Why Sharmila's entry will cost T Congress dearly

YouTube has made our lives miserable and at the same time memorable. We feel miserable when it comes to politics. Every Tom, Dick and Harry can start a YouTube channel, reeling out political gyan to even seasoned political analysts and politicians. That's what is happening right now, more so in the two Telugu States.

A two-time Telangana MLA was recently telling me how the influence of social media had grown. But the fact of the matter is that voters are much smarter than most of the inept souls peddling political trash on social media. People know what they want. What they see on YouTube channels gives them some sort of entertainment. Nothing more!

More on YouTube channels later, but Telangana Congress got lucky in recent times thanks to two key developments. Firstly, the Indian National Congress (INC) won Karnataka Assembly elections convincingly, defeating its strongest national rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This victory infused much-needed confidence into the INC's Telangana leadership and cadre. Secondly, the abrupt change of BJP's leadership in Telangana also helped T Congress' cause. BJP relegated Congress to third position in Telangana's political narrative after its victory in Dubbaka and Huzurabad Assembly by-elections and a good showing in the civic polls in Hyderabad. This rapid rise in saffron party's political fortunes in Telangana could be attributed to the aggressive tactics of Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the saffron party's Karimnagar MP, who led the party’s TS unit from March 2020 till the other day. His sudden departure crippled the saffron party and it is in utter chaos. It is baffling for many as to why BJP opted for a weak State leadership just before the Assembly polls!

Several strong politicians who joined Telangana BJP believing that it would continue its upward march must be ruing their decision now.

But these unexpected developments in the saffron party came as a blessing in disguise for Telangana Congress. The way disgruntled Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders are making a beeline to Congress demonstrates that the grand old party is back into reckoning in Telangana.

Despite internal squabbles and other challenges, Telangana Congress president Anumula Revanth Reddy has kept the party's boat steady, which is now coming handy.

But then AICC has a dubious track-record of taking suicidal political steps. It's the biggest political loser in Telangana despite granting statehood to the backward region! There are many such instances at the national level as well.

To be frank, this is the last chance for Congress to regain its past glory in this part of the country. If Congress doesn't win the upcoming Assembly polls in Telangana, it will be relegated to the fringes, like in Tamil Nadu and Odisha. But its performance in the polls will hinge on what steps it takes and what strategies it will deploy over the next couple of months.

TPCC recently welcomed a leader, who has been discarded by the ruling BRS. This leader could not win on the BRS (then TRS) ticket when there was a visible wave in its favour in 2018. What good fortune can this leader bring to the Congress table now?

Now there is also a talk of Y S Sharmila's entry into Telangana Congress. Following some differences with her brother and current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sharmila floated YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) in July 2021 and soon after went on a 3,800-kilometre walkathon (padayatra). But she failed to make any mark as a politician-on-her-own. Her failure was not unexpected. She claimed herself to be daughter-in-law of Telangana, but laid claim to the political legacy of her father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. These are self-contradictory in themselves.

Going by how the bifurcation fanned out in the last nine years, it was more of a political division. TDP run by Nara Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress Party helmed by Jagan became irrelevant in Telangana while these two political parties remained strong in residual Andhra Pradesh. But businessmen and contractors with roots in the present-day Andhra Pradesh emerged stronger and more aggressive in Telangana. Moreover, many more from Andhra Pradesh are migrating to Hyderabad than before the bifurcation due to lack of opportunities there. That’s why I said the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh had eventually turned out to be a political division.

So, the arduous efforts of Sharmila to carve a place for herself on the Telangana’s political landscape failed to generate any positive vibes. Expectedly, the YSR legacy did not bring any political mileage to her. It will be the same into the future, as well. Perhaps, she realised this a tad late and is desperate to merge her party with the Congress with eye on a couple of Assembly seats in Telangana. Given her Andhra Pradesh roots and her attempt to lay claim to the legacy of YSR, her presence in Telangana Congress is likely to cost the party dearly.

Despite TRS transforming itself into BRS, the Telangana sentiment is still with its founder K Chandrashekar Rao. Otherwise, TRS would not have won twice in succession.

So, BRS will obviously rake up Sharmila’s AP roots to whip up an anti-Congress sentiment as it did in 2018 when Naidu was spearheading the Mahakutami, comprising TDP, Congress and other political parties in the previous Telangana assembly polls.

BRS working president and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao gave enough indications to this effect during his recent media interaction. Fearing such a backlash, Telangana Congress leadership has been insisting on sending Sharmila to Andhra Pradesh. But Sharmila, who recently met Gandhi family members, is obviously keen on Telangana, while Congress might like her to take on her brother in Andhra Pradesh. But the fact of matter is that Sharmila will not be of much use for Congress in Telangana while Congress will not of much use for Sharmila in Andhra Pradesh where the party is literally on its deathbed.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Sharmila has completely been misguided by her advisors to enter Telangana politics. An upcoming media baron also played a role. How can she succeed so early in Telangana where her brother’s YSRCP failed? It’s better if she realizes her folly and takes a pragmatic decision. Instead of prostrating at the political leadership of Congress, Sharmila should reach a compromise with her brother. That will enhance her stature and bring about political stability. All said and done, Jagan is her own brother. If she is really keen on standing on her own politically, she should continue to run her political party for couple of decades more and patiently wait for the right opportunity, a la Mamata Banerjee.

Unless a new generation takes roots in Telangana, she will not have any place here. If she doesn’t have patience for that long, she is wasting her resources and time here. Let’s see whether she will be pragmatic or again end up nowhere.

As of now, BRS is sitting pretty in Telangana. The strategies taken by Telangana Congress in the next few months will decide whether it can upset the BRS applecart or not. However, it is not going to be an easy task. Telangana Congress has just five seats in Telangana Assembly and it must increase its tally by 12 times to cross the half-way mark! That’s a monumental task indeed. But it’s not an impossible task as Congress has a good base spread across the State. Let's see how the political game plays out in the newly-created State.