The decision of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to extend state honours to the funeral of former Telugu Desam Party MP and politburo member Nandamuri Harikrishna on Thursday has taken a political twist, with a section of people finding fault with the decision.
Though there has been no open criticism against KCR, some sections have been talking in their internal circles stating that there is a political motive behind his decision.
According to them, the TRS chief has extended state funeral to Harikrishna only to appease the Seemandhra voters of Telangana, whose support he desperately needs in the forthcoming elections.
“Harikrishna is a symbol of Andhra pride. That is precisely why thousands of Seemandrha people turned up to his residence to have last glimpse of his body.
Secondly, he is also the son of legendary actor N T Rama Rao. So, any respect shown towards Harikrishna amounts to respecting NTR and that will immensely appease the Seemandhra people,” a political observer said.
Otherwise, there is no reason why the Telangana government should extend state funeral for Harikrishna, who did not belong to Telangana at all, though he has been staying in Hyderabad. Even as per the rules of official protocol, it is not justified.
Moreover, Harikrishna was a staunch opponent of Telangana formation by dividing combined Andhra Pradesh.
He strongly protested the bifurcation in Parliament and even resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership to register his protest.
“Why didn’t KCR extend the same state honours to Telangana freedom fighters like Konda Laxman Bapuji, Keshava Rao Jadhav and Guda Anjaiah, who dedicated their lives for Telangana statehood movement?
And why state honours for a person who opposed Telangana?” he asked and said the answer is not beyond one’s comprehension.
