The ruling Congress, which wants to garner the entire credit for granting statehood for Telangana, has come up with a silent strategy to neutralize the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the new state.
As part of the strategy, it has fielded the city legislator and vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NMDA) Marri Shashidhar Reddy to make a demand for increasing the number of Assembly constituencies in Telangana from the present 119 to 153.
The political observers say that the demand was part of a well-crafted strategy to cut the TRS to size and broaden the Congress' base in the new state.
According to the plan, the number of Assembly segments will be increased wherever there is an increase in the population. This will mean that the number will go up in Hyderabad and the surrounding Ranga Reddy districts.
The TRS hardly has any presence in the state capital and the surrounding areas. After Telangana state is formed, the Congress will have its say in more constituencies and reduce the TRS to a junior player.
Moreover, the Telangana sentiment is not strong in Hyderabad and its surrounding Telangana districts including Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar. This will restrict the TRS' influence in the region.
An usually reticent Shashidhar Reddy has suddenly become active, triggering speculation that he also joined the race for Chief Minister's post in the imminent Telangana state.
However, it is said in political circles that Shashidhar Reddy conducted the meeting with the Telangana Congress leaders with the "blessings" of the party high command. He led a delegation to Delhi, seeking an increase in the number of constituencies in Telangana.
This strategy has pushed the TRS into silent mode. It cannot criticize the proposal and at the same time it realizes that the demand was part of a strategy to cut it to size.
