Telengana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Credit: PTI File Photo
It's been almost 20 days since Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was seen in public. His public appearances or photo ops have been almost negligible since September 18. His last public appearance was when he inaugurated the prestigious Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation project on September 16.
On September 18, his office released pictures of him participating in Ganesh puja on the occasion of Vinayaka Chavithi. Since then, he has been confined to Pragathi Bhavan, the chief minister's official residence.
The reason behind 69-year-old KCR missing in action is attributed to his ill health. This comes at a time when political heat has reached a tipping point in poll-bound Telangana.
On September 26, KCR's son and BRS working president, KT Rama Rao took to X and said, “CM KCR Garu has been suffering from viral fever and cough for the last one week. He is being treated at home by his medical team and is being monitored closely. As per doctors, he should be able to get back to normalcy in a few days.”
On Friday, talking to a TV channel, KTR updated KCR's health condition.
"He unfortunately had a secondary infection, a bacterial infection. So it is taking longer than usual. In fact, his viral (fever) subsided and then the bacterial (infection) started. He has some infection in his chest. But he should be out in a day or two," KTR said to a question.
While KCR was expected to launch the CM's Breakfast Scheme for children going to government-run schools in Rangareddy district on Friday, instead his nephew and minister, T Harish Rao launched the programme.
With just months away for the assembly polls in the state and in the absence of KCR from the thick of the action owing to ill health, KTR and Harish Rao appear to have taken charge of the ruling party.
It is learnt that only Rao and KTR now have access to KCR and they have been taking decisions on behalf of the party patriarch after consulting him. Notably, BRS has planned at least 100 public meetings across Telangana by KCR.
Such meetings had helped BRS retain power in 2018 polls. Now, BRS is aiming for a hat trick while both Congress and BJP increased their aggression on the ground. Though a strong retort was expected from KCR to recent comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he snubbed the Telangana chief minister's offer to join the NDA, reaction came from KTR.