Hyderabad: On Saturday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated development projects for the state of Telangana at an event at the Parade Ground in Hyderabad’s twin city of Secunderabad – a chair on the dais was held by state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). ,
However, minutes before Modi reached the venue, the chair was removed as KCR did not attend the event. Even in the official plan of Modi’s event in Telangana, which ThePrint has accessed, about seven minutes were allotted for KCR’s address – had he attended the event.
“Of course, an official invitation was sent to the Telangana government. In fact, in his (state’s) internal planning programme, he had allotted a few minutes for the chief minister’s address as well. So, naturally one would assume that he is attending,” a source involved in the planning of the PM’s visit told ThePrint.
Sources also said that there was no official information about the CM not attending the event.
When asked why the CM did not attend the event despite being invited, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and Rajya Sabha member K.K. “When the state is insulted outside, why should we get involved?” Keshava Rao told ThePrint. “Whenever there is an official event in which the Railways is involved, especially the state MPs should get an invitation. Our name was not on the card. I think Congress MP Revanth Reddy’s name was mentioned,” Rao claimed.
Modi was in Telangana to inaugurate the Vande Bharat Express connecting Secunderabad to Tirupati and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth Rs 11,000 crore.
Prime Minister performed Bhoomi Pooja For the redevelopment and modernization of Secunderabad Railway Station, which as per reports, will cost Rs 715 crore.
were then Bhoomi Pooja For construction of six National Highway projects at an estimated cost of Rs 7,864 crore and also for development work at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bibinagar, estimated to cost Rs 1,336 crore.
The Chief Minister did not receive the Prime Minister on his arrival at the Begumpet airport. Instead, State Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Fisheries Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav was sent to formally welcome the PM.
Speaking in the state on Saturday, PM Modi said, “I feel pained to see how projects are getting delayed due to non-cooperation and politics of the state government… Those who have always defended corrupt, dynastic politics, are now Worried and shocked to see our honest. Work across the country… Corrupt and power-hungry houses are stalling central schemes like DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer), they are trying to control the system.”
Modi also told the people of Telangana that they needed to “drive out” corrupt and dynastic politics from the state – a term the BJP uses to take a dig at KCR’s family, which has three elected representatives.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, who was present in the program with the PM, targeted KCR and said, ‘For the development of any project, we also need the cooperation of the state government, so I request the state to rise above politics. . & Embody Everybody’s company will help in everybody’s growth In the soul
Read also: With plan for ‘cool roofs’ that absorb less sunlight, Telangana battles urban warming
line on airport tour
This is not the first time that KCR has been absent at the airport during the PM’s visit. This has been a constant practice in at least the last two years, as relations between the KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government in the state and the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Center soured.
Former MP and senior BRS leader Vinod Kumar has claimed that PM Modi declined KCR’s invitation at the airport during his visit to the state during the pandemic. Speaking to the media on Friday, Kumar claimed that the PM had asked the CM to “not come” to the airport or the events that followed.
Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao, who is also KCR’s son, has also claimed in the past that the PM’s office had said that “the CM should not come,” when the PM was in the city.
This is about the time Modi was in the state to inaugurate the spiritual guru Statue of Ramanujacharya Last year and KCR did not receive him at the airport nor did he later accompany the PM on a visit to the plant of Covid vaccine giant Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad.
(Editing by Richa Mishra)