“GALLI mein bolo, Dilli mein bolo, Jai Telangana, Jai Telangana” (Say it on the streets, say it in Delhi, victory to Telangana, victory to Telangana). This was the slogan that student leaders, activists and supporters shouted in unison on June 2, 2014, when the 29th state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. The landscape was pink, and it was in favour of Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR. The leader entered public and political consciousness with one aim, and with one aim only: to form a separate state for the four crore people who he said had been “discriminated” in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
His followers—from children to their grandparents—called him ‘Telangana Tiger’ and ‘Telangana Gandhi’; for them, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was synonymous with KCR. But now, the road ahead for this regional party appears to be difficult after the state voted out its ‘tiger’ in the 2023 assembly elections.
Once with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and then with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), KCR formed the TRS (now Bharat Rashtra Samithi or BRS) in 2001 with the purpose of working towards a bangaru (meaning golden in Telugu) Telangana, wherein the social aspirations of marginalised communities would be fulfilled. It joined hands with the Congress-led UPA in 2004, and then with the BJP-led NDA in 2009, but both alliances didn’t reap any electoral dividends.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
