A fighter known for leading mass movements, a politician who can get the better of the Opposition and a lyricist — a combination that is rarely seen in a politician.
The caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao, after catching the Opposition unawares by dissolving the Assembly nine months ahead of the end of its term, is now writing songs for the election campaign of his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
Mr. Rao, whose literary skills is known to the people of Telangana, is now giving a shape to an album of six songs.
He has written two of them and edited the others written by Suddala Ashok Teja, Mattepalli Surender and Goreti Venkanna.
One of the songs goes as “ Maanavataku Maaru Peru KCRu Malli Gelichi Raavali Manasugalla Sarkaru (He is the sobriquet of humanism, and the government with a heart should come back)”. “In fact, the Chief Minister has made changes to the lyrics of other writers at some places making the song more meaningful and linked to the schemes he has launched,” says TRS general secretary Palla Rajeshwar Reddy.
Pet schemes
The lyrics cover a range of Mr. Rao’s pet schemes such as pensions, Mission Bhageerata, Kalyana Lakshmi, solace to the differently abled, KCR kits in hospitals and irrigation projects.
He creates an image of his being the eldest son of the family while targeting women and as the head of the house when messaging youngsters.
Mr. Rao has himself suggested how to play the songs to keep the attention of the people. The songs in audio and video formats will be the major weapons of the election campaign to be kicked off soon by him.
Even during the Telangana agitation, Mr. Rao had written lyrics highlighting how Telangana was “looted” and “deliberately neglected”, drawing a huge response.
One of his songs, Garadi Chestundru, Gadibidi Chestundru, Tondiki Digutundru, Hey Mondiki Potundru... , was used in the film Jai Bolo Telangana that hit the screens at the peak of the Telangana movement.
Union Minister Smriti Irani played one of the lead roles in the film in which popular actor Jagapati Babu appeared in a major role.
