KCR’s village remembers as son of the soil

K Chandrasekhar Rao has his roots in Chintamadaka.

From this village, about 15 km from Siddipet, a lanky teenager used to ride his bicycle to Dubbaka to attend school and in later years to Siddipet to attend college to study his favourite subject — Telugu literature.

The village, which falls under the Siddipet Assembly segment, is represented by KCR's nephew T Harish Rao, the state irrigation minister.

KCR has fielded Harish from Siddipet for once more. Kalvakuntla's family — which puts the 'K' in KCR — has nothing left here as they sold most of their property and moved, first to Siddipet and then to Hyderabad.

KCR gave away his house to the bank and some land to his school.

"He was my junior in the Dubbaka school. At that time, owning a bicycle was considered a privilege," Gandla Ramulu, remembering his friend, said.

KCR's childhood friends refute the allegations that his family migrated Vizianagaram district in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

"We know that his great grandfathers lived here and even saw KCR himself tilling the land here," another friend Chakali Veerraiah said.

"Whenever he comes, he makes it a point to say hello, but these days, his visits have become fewer and fewer," Kusa Ramaiah said.

The villagers say that they try to visit him at his official residence, Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad, whenever any development work is to be done in the village.

Thanks to KCR, the Chintamadaka village has 40-foot wide roads, and all 52 families that lost their dwellings as they were on the roadside were given two-bedroom houses at the entrance of the village.

A new school, bank, hospital and temple have also been built for the villagers.

"We have shifted to the new homes last week. They are big and comfortable," Kuruma Lakshmi, one of the beneficiary told DH.

The houses are spacious, electrified and have bore water.

Kanakamma Mudiraj, another beneficiary of KCR's pet project said the whole village unanimously agrees that they would bring the "son of the soil" back again.

While Harish's victory is Siddipet should be a cakewalk, he will be going against the Telangana Jana Samithi, which will get the seat as per an alliance it formed with the Congress, TDP and CPI.

However, Harish, who has already made an impact on his voters with Mission Kakatiya and irrigation projects such as Kaleswaram, may not be able to campaign in his own constituency much as he has the additional responsibility to campaign at KCR's constituency Gajwel, where he is now.