© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will address a public meeting in Nanded on February 5, the first public meeting of the BRS since its second coming at the January 18 meeting at Khammam, and the first outside the state. The venue — Bhokar in Nanded, Maharashtra — borders the Boath Assembly constituency in Telangana, and has a large Telugu-speaking population. With Telugu-speaking people, especially in Nirmal and Bhainsa towns of Telangana, having relatives on the other side of the border, it offers KCR the perfect setting to project his national ambitions, since the change of name of his party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Forest Minister Indrakaran Reddy, who toured Nanded town on Sunday to monitor arrangements for the BRS meeting, said people living in villages on either side of the border at Nanded have similar culture and traditions. “People here highly appreciate and are attracted by the KCR government’s welfare and developmental schemes. Hence, this was chosen as the first venue outside the state for a BRS public meeting,” Reddy said.
BRS leaders said KCR also feels farmers in Maharashtra are suffering even though their state is rich, and sees an interest in his schemes like Rythu Bandhu, which are helping Telangana farmers. Reddy said some local leaders will also join the BRS at the public meeting. KCR is likely to visit the famous Sachkhchand Gurudwara to offer prayers, before addressing the meeting.
Last Thursday, former MP Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje — the 13th descendant of Maratha hero Chhatrapati Shivaji — who nurtures political ambitions paid a courtesy call to KCR. The CM hosted a lunch in his honour and held discussions on many issues, during which Sambhajiraje enquired about the Telangana government’s public welfare and development schemes.
The BRS next plans to hold a public meeting on February 17 at the Parade Ground in Secunderabad, after the inauguration of Telangana’s new Secretariat complex there. Among the dignitaries invited are Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and JD(U) national president Lalan Singh, who will be representing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, the chief of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), is also expected to attend.
The January 18 public meeting at Khammam was attended by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and CPI general secretary D. Raja, as KCR plots his role in any national Opposition alliance, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
