RAGHUNANDAN STRIKES GOLD, LEAVING REVANTH EMPTY-HANDED

F or the state’s political elite, the sweltering summer months are a great excuse to get out of the country and holiday in the cooler climes of Europe and America with their families. Many use the excuse of political work to use this opportunity to escape, just to put up a responsible front for their followers and fans. Those stuck back home are often considered “nobodies”, folks missing out on all the fun. This particular phenomenon turned out to be a big political loss for Telangana state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, though he was away rallying NRIs in America against the TRS. When news of the Jubilee Hills gangrape went viral and took the nation by storm, Revanth didn’t have a chance to capitalise on the controversy, instead leaving it open for his opponents in the BJP. The apparent hero of the day, M. Raghunandan Rao, who became a household name in Telangana state when he won the byelection in Dubbak a while back, returned to the limelight when he released the video and pictures of the crime, taking care not to reveal the identity of the victim, thereby forcing the ruling party to give the police a green signal to take action. Revanth, on the other hand, missed the bus for days when the public sentiment was boiling against the accused, including the police inaction early on and suspicion that they were trying to appease political pressure to get the sons and relatives of the biggies involved out of trouble. Several articulate BJP leaders, as well as the Congress boss, are now furious with themselves for having gone to the USA or Europe, while Raghunandan struck political gold and ran with it all the way to the bank.

WHILE TPCC chief Revanth was in the USA rallying NRIs, BJP’s M. Raghunandan Rao gained political mileage by releasing footage of the Jubilee Hills rape.