Politicians are known for hurling abuses at each other, but Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is taking the exercise to a new low altogether.

Hyderabad: Politicians are known for hurling abuses at each other, but Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is taking the exercise to a new low altogether. He is setting a dubious benchmark when it comes to being ‘expressive’ in public meetings. When words such as ‘Satan’, ‘ghost’, ‘thief’, ‘liar’ and ‘deceiver’ become routine in public speeches along with a barrage of expletives, you know the red line is being crossed somewhere.

Take a look at the way KCR reviled Naidu a couple of days ago. “You are the worst (neechaathi neechamaina) chief minister in the country. You come across as Satan for Telangana. You are a ghost that engulfed Telangana. You are wreaking vengeance against people of the state. You are a deceiver. You are a cheat. You violated all the stipulations of AP Reorganisation Act. You are a liar… Are Srisailam and Krishnapatnam your father’s estate? (nee ayya jagir aa?) What is your bossism over those projects? You want the people and families in Telangana to wilt and the TRS government to become unpopular.”

KCR did not stop at that. He went on to say that Chandrababu Naidu was alleging that “we (the TRS government) lacked vision and farsightedness. But, we don’t have his donga choopu (a thief’s look). Telangana is suffering because of that.” Continuing his trenchant attack on Naidu, the Telangana Chief Minister said that Ashok Hinduja complained to him (KCR) that Chandrababu Naidu “threatened” him (Hinduja) not to sell power to Telangana from Hinduja Power utility. “You (Naidu) will burn yourself, if you play with fire. We are going to drag you to Supreme Court on the water/power issue,” he said.

KCR challenged that he was ready for a public debate either at Abids (in the heart of Hyderabad) or Praksam Barrage (the threshold of Vijayawada). “If I am proven wrong, I will rub my nose on the ground and apologise,” he asserted in a huffy tone.

This is not the first time KCR used opprobrious language. He held out a threat recently against those teasing women, saying he would get their eyeballs plucked. Asked if it was not unconstitutional and barbaric, he made light of the question and asserted that he would not compromise at any cost to protect the safety and security of women.

On an earlier occasion, at the birth anniversary of legendary poet Kaloji Narayana Rao in Warangal, the chief minister, who until then denied having his surreptitious hand behind the blocking the telecast of TV9 and ABN new channels in cable TVs in Telangana and that his party and government had nothing to do with that, suddenly burst out saying: “If they abuse KCR, I don’t care. But if they abuse the Telangana people and culture, we will bury them 10 km deep inside the earth.”

TRS sympathizers and leaders defend KCR’s remarks only as retorts, but not provocative. They ascribe Friday’s remarks also as a response to Chandrababu Naidu’s comments that TRS leaders and KCR might “blame me, even if their wives are not having family relation (meaning sex) with them.”

KCR is known for his vituperative remarks. Sometimes they became popular and runaway hits with the agitators and people. At other times, he drew flak. When he said long ago that his party would “drag Sonia Gandhi to bazaar”, he drew scornful remarks from all. The late YS Rajasekhara Reddy rebuked the TRS on the floor of the assembly and chided KCR by quoting his “acerbic and provocative” remarks over “seizure of property of Andhra investors and ban of Andhra educational institutions.”

A new state and chief ministership did not come to KCR just like that. He, indeed, earned both by dint of sheer effort and mobilizing enormous support to the political cause from multiple sections of society in India. But the tongue-lashing is showing him poor light. He brings no dignity to the top job.

Contextual criticism is acceptable and indeed welcome in a democracy. But crass remarks sure denigrate the dignity of anybody, especially the man making them.