Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister Ok Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to rope in common actor Prakash Raj in Karnataka to broaden his get together’s footprint past his residence turf, ThePrint has learnt.
After renaming his get together the ‘Bharat Rashtra Samithi’ (BRS), Rao, nicely often known as KCR, is drawing up plans to make its presence felt in poll-bound Karnataka. KCR is prone to play a supporting position to the Janata Dal (Secular), particularly in round three dozen constituencies within the Hyderabad Karnataka area, the place Telugus have a sizeable presence.
Former Karnataka chief minister and JD (S) chief H D Kumaraswamy was one of many few leaders from exterior Telangana who had attended the BRS’s launch ceremony in Hyderabad final month.
Raj, a staunch critic of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), is about to play an “essential position” in KCR’s nationwide growth plan, BRS functionaries have instructed ThePrint.
The actor is alleged to be in common contact with KCR. “Within the coming months, we’ll see Prakash Raj play an essential position for BRS and KCR’s nationwide get together plans. However what sort of position and the place and the way will probably be applied — it’s for each of them to determine. They’ve been holding discussions on this regard,” a senior chief and shut aide of the Telangana CM instructed ThePrint.
“His position will maintain prominence on the nationwide stage. It may maybe be in Karnataka or Maharashtra. His providers will certainly be put to make use of — be it as a public speaker or a coordinator between leaders. It’s but to be determined,” he added.
The actor’s Twitter account cowl image is a photograph of himself with the caption — ‘India is prepared for another’. Final week, Raj put out a tweet with a video to indicate that Telangana noticed improvement underneath KCR’s governance. It learn: “A Chief with a Imaginative and prescient …with an Intent for a greater tomorrow… thanks #KCR garu.”
A Chief with a Imaginative and prescient .. with an Intent for a greater tomorrow.. thanks #KCR garu pic.twitter.com/Jtlz6zOfxo
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) December 24, 2022
He has additionally been retweeting posts by BRS’s social media cell, together with one carrying screenshots from a purported video of BJP ‘brokers’ making an attempt to poach BRS (then TRS) MLAs.
Whereas BRS leaders ThePrint spoke to really feel Raj may play a key position within the get together, others have been of the opinion that although his presence could be of little political significance in Karnataka, his recognition as a flexible actor would possibly give KCR some mileage there.
From evaluating the BJP to “most cancers” to giving the get together “zero marks” for governance within the state and on the Centre, Raj has been a vocal critic of the ruling get together.
The multilingual actor has additionally criticised the Congress. He lashed out on the get together in 2019 for allegedly spreading faux information that he was backing it.
Raj didn’t reply to ThePrint’s calls and textual content messages till the time this report was revealed.
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Poor political fortunes
In 2019, Prakash Raj had contested as an Unbiased from Bengaluru central Lok Sabha seat. He misplaced to BJP’s P C Mohan. He additionally unsuccessfully contested the Tollywood (Telugu) Business’s Film Artists Affiliation election in 2021.
His unique title is Prakash Rai. These with the surname ‘Rai’ normally belong to the Bunt neighborhood in Karnataka, who’ve a big presence within the coastal elements of the state.
Political analyst Sandeep Shastri, who can be nationwide coordinator for Lokniti community, mentioned there was no vacuum for regional events within the state amidst the sturdy presence of the BJP and Congress.
“In the event you take a look at elections traditionally in Karnataka, there was very not often area for state-based events amidst the presence of nationwide events which take away many of the vote share. Even Janata Dal has been pushed to a distant 3rd place,” he instructed ThePrint.
Affiliation with KCR
Raj’s affiliation with KCR is nothing new. He was, on and off, seen with KCR ever because the latter first spoke about forming another ‘third entrance’ to the BJP and Congress. One of many actor’s first conferences with KCR was in March 2018 in Hyderabad. A month later, he had accompanied KCR to fulfill former prime minister H D Deve Gowda at his residence to debate his federal entrance plans.
Raj was additionally current when KCR met former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UST) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai earlier this 12 months to debate plans to kind an alternate entrance. Nationalist Congress Celebration (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was additionally current on the assembly.
Raj’s look at such conferences raised curiosity about his political ambitions and how much position he may play in KCR’s then plans of forming a entrance. However similar to how the chief minister’s concept of sewing collectively a entrance didn’t materialise, there was no concrete progress in Raj’s political ambitions, if any. After years of speaking about establishing a 3rd entrance, KCR, in April, mentioned that he would kind a nationwide get together to combat in opposition to BJP and Congress.
“If Raj intends to play an essential position, then BRS would be the proper platform. And in reality, we would like him to take up a key position. He’s very progressive along with his ideas and that will likely be a fantastic addition to us too. He fairly often speaks to the chief minister on nationwide politics,” one other senior BRS chief mentioned.
“There will likely be discussions on this within the coming days, the chief minister may even speak to him. But it surely solely is dependent upon Raj on what sort of position he needs to take up. It will likely be his resolution. We’ve got nonetheless not finalised on the precise position or submit he will likely be holding,” he added.
Prime BRS leaders, who didn’t wish to be named, identified that Raj’s proximity with leaders in Karnataka, Maharashtra and even Tamil Nadu might be a bonus, and that is additionally why he’s being thought-about for the position of a coordinator.
‘Raj’s fame may give KCR visibility’
Ruling out any political prominence, Narender Pani, professor on the Nationwide Institute of Superior Research, mentioned that Raj is politically insignificant in Karnataka’s state politics, however his recognition as a flexible actor would possibly give KCR some mileage in some states, particularly Karnataka.
“He’s not politically vital, but when KCR is planning a nationwide position and needs to penetrate into different states, then Raj will be capable to give him the visibility right here on condition that the multilingual actor shares fame throughout the South and even in Delhi and Maharashtra. That’s the utmost he can do,” he instructed ThePrint.
Pani additional mentioned that Karnataka has by no means been pleasant to actor-turned politicians, so Raj may in all probability simply be the face for KCR’s growth plans within the state.
“Prakash Raj has taken a really sturdy ideological line and that will discover assist from sure sectors, then there could be some assist from different sectors contemplating his fame as an actor. So, it’s exhausting to place it in a single field as to which sector alone would possibly assist him,” he defined.
“Even in veteran Kannada actor late Rajkumar’s case there was talks about him becoming a member of a political get together, however he by no means did,” Pani recalled.
(Edited by Geethalakshmi Ramanathan)
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