Within a week of the Hyderabad municipal election results on December 5, 2020, which led to a hung house with the Bharatiya Janata Party securing 48 seats, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bearing a fancy shawl.
Modi revealed on Tuesday that during their meeting on December 12, 2020, KCR expressed his desire for his party to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"KCR needed support in the Hyderabad municipal body. He approached me with a fancy shawl and showed me great respect – quite unusual for KCR. He stated that the country is progressing under my leadership, and he wished to be part of the NDA. In return, he sought assistance in the municipal body. I informed him that his actions were not conducive to a partnership with Modi. I declined his entry into the NDA and refused to aid him in any way," the Prime Minister stated in Telangana.
Sources indicate that Modi made this disclosure to emphasize that there is no covert arrangement between Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party in Telangana. This revelation aimed to dispel any notion of an alliance to prevent the Congress from assuming power in the state.
Additionally, Modi wanted to clarify to the party members that BRS and BJP are at odds in state politics and will actively contest the assembly elections.
He pointed out that BJP chose to sit in opposition in the Hyderabad municipal corporation, not aligning with BRS, which antagonizes BJP workers and is plagued by corruption. Modi expressed his strong stance against corruption.
The Prime Minister sought to expose KCR, who has vehemently criticized the BJP, by disclosing that at one point, the BRS leader sought to join the NDA.
Furthermore, Modi recounted another meeting with KCR in Delhi where the CM expressed his desire to pass the torch to his son, KTR. Modi challenged this dynastic approach, emphasizing that the people of Telangana will determine the next CM.
The second meeting, likely held on September 3, 2021, marked the last time KCR met the Prime Minister.
Modi claimed that KCR has avoided eye contact and even his shadow since those meetings. The Chief Minister has not adhered to protocol during Modi's visits to Telangana since 2022.
KCR's son, KT Rama Rao, denounced the PM's statements as "fabrications," accusing him of selective memory loss.
KTR held a press conference in Hyderabad after Modi's rally, challenging the authenticity of the PM's claims and labeling them as political falsehoods.
