Political atmosphere in Telangana has suddenly gained heat with governor Jishnu Dev Varma granting approval for the prosecution of Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and former minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) in the alleged irregularities surrounding the Hyderabad Formula E car race case.
The clearance, considered a crucial procedural step, has triggered a flurry of discussions within the BRS, which views the development as a politically motivated move.
With the governor’s permission to prosecute KTR, the anti-corruption bureau is now expected to proceed with the next steps.
The BRS leadership immediately convened internal discussions to assess possible outcomes and formulate a dual-pronged strategy — fighting the case legally while simultaneously countering what the party describes as political persecution.
KTR has already undergone questioning in connection with the case and has maintained that there was no scope for corruption in the Formula E project.
Party sources say BRS will frame the case as an example of targeted harassment by the Congress government.
Senior BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao strongly reacted to the Governor’s decision, alleging that chief minister A Revanth Reddy was misusing constitutional authority to suppress dissent.
He accused the Congress government of “plucking feathers from an egg” for two years in the Formula E case.
While the BRS leadership has decided to rally behind KTR, asserting that the allegations against him are baseless and politically engineered, a discussion has begun on how the situation would be if he goes to jail.
With BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao confined to his farmhouse and his daughter K Kavitha being expelled from the party, the party is now banking only on Harish Rao to lead the struggle from the front.
Harish Rao reaffirmed that the party would provide full support to him and fight the issue both legally and politically.
He also vowed that BRS would counter what he termed the “malicious intent” of the Revanth Reddy government through appropriate legal action.
Analysts say it is a big opportunity for Harish Rao to gain control over the party and assert his leadership.
“The longer KTR remains in jail, the better it would be for Harish Rao, who has the capacity to take over the party reins,” they said.
