Above: Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao with the farmer leaders in Hyderabad yesterday
By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
Hyderabad: On the “auspicious day” of Dussehra today, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR), announced a new national party – ‘Bharat Rastra Samithi’ (BRS). This new outfit will replace his existing political party in Telangana, the Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS).
After long consultations with various political groups, think tanks, as well as farmer leaders, KCR finalised the new national party and it was officially announced here in Hyderabad at the party headquarters at the “auspicious time” of 1.19 pm. And thus ended the suspense and speculation over the new party, for the last few months, in the media and political circles.
Before the announcement, the party’s general body meeting was held with 300 leaders including MLAs, MLCs, MPs, Ministers and senior party leaders as well as 33 district presidents of the party. The general body presided over by KCR, unanimously passed a resolution changing the name of the party from TRS to Bharat Rastra Samithi. At 1.19 pm, KCR signed the resolution of the general body and formally announced the new name, amid cheers and slogans from the gathered party leaders. Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) leader Kumaraswamy, and President of Tamil Nadu’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) party, MP Thirumavalavan, were present during the launch event.
KCR indicated that very shortly, he is going to hold a public meeting in Delhi to explain why he had launched a national party. The party has already taken a big house on lease at Sardar Patel Marg in New Delhi, from where it is going to start its activities. Further, KCR’s national party is going to buy an aircraft worth Rs 80 to 100 crores to tour the states. Senior leaders in the state, who know Hindi, would be handpicked and made in charge of key northern states in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, the Telangana State Planning Commission Vice President Vinod Kumar and Srinivas Reddy will go to Delhi on October 6, 2022, with the passed resolution. An affidavit is also submitted to the Central Election Commission seeking approval for the resolution on the change of the party name. The Central Election Commission will issue a notification regarding the same, while a one-month period will be allocated to raise objections against the decision. In case of no objections, the party name shall be finalised officially.
Sources said that KCR during his campaigns in states would highlight the welfare schemes being implemented in Telangana like “Rythu Bandhu”, an investment support scheme for farmers and “ Dalit Bandhu”( Rs 10 lakh grant to every Dalit household to start any business or trade) and also crop insurance scheme for farmers and question why such measures are not being implemented in the country.
The party would also raise questions as to why electricity has not been provided to all the villages in the country even 75 years after independence and why welfare measures for the poor are being described as “ freebies”. Sources said that the new party would focus and move ahead with its national agenda rather than a political agenda. The party would appeal to various states to see how the welfare agenda is being implemented successfully in Telangana State.
Apparently taking a swipe at the Centre’s policies, KCR has been stressing that farmers and jawans are under stress and going against the spirit of “Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan”. On the Jai Kisan slogan, KCR repeatedly stated that the financial condition of farmers is facing deterioration due to a lack of Minimum support price for the produce. Several suicides are taking place.
KCR who had recently met his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar in Patna, called for a “BJP Mukt Bharat” blaming the national party’s government at the Centre for the many ills plaguing the country. The TRS in its foundation day event in April this year had adopted a political resolution resolving that the party should play a key role in national politics for the wider interest of the country as the BJP is exploiting “ communal sentiments “ for its political convenience.
*Senior journalist
