Amid 'Closeness' With BJP, KCR's Party Ends Boycott Of Central Meetings

Amid speculation of the party's increasing closeness with the BJP,  the Bharat Rashtra Samithi has ended its over two-year run of boycotting meetings called by the Centre and sent a representative to the all-party meeting on the Manipur situation. 

The move comes as Telangana Chief Minister and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was at the forefront of efforts to unite like-minded parties against the BJP, has given up on opposition unity and is now focused on presenting his 'Telangana development model'. His party had also skipped the 16-party opposition meeting in Patna yesterday. 

KCR, who had been relentless in his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi - taking on the 'Gujarat model' and alleging that he chooses outfits based on elections - called the PM a "good friend" at a party event in Nagpur on June 15.  And, while the mega opposition meeting was on yesterday, Mr Rao's son and Telangana minister K T Rama Rao began a two-day visit to New Delhi, during which he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Mr Shah chaired the all-party meeting on the violence in Manipur, which began at 3 pm at the Parliament Library Building in New Delhi. KCR nominated senior leader and former Member of Parliament B Vinod to attend the meet, which is the first central meeting the BRS has participated in since November 2020 

Sources say the name of KCR's daughter, K Kavitha, cropping up in the Delhi liquor policy scam may have also played a role in the BRS changing its outlook on the BJP. She was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate twice and named in two chargesheets. There were even reports of a possible arrest. Her name was, however, dropped in the third chargesheet filed in April. 

With assembly elections scheduled to take place in Telangana towards the end of the year, its perceived closeness with the BRS is also causing trouble for the BJP.  Party leaders Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy and Eatala Rajender, who are recent entrants to the Telangana BJP, are said to be contemplating a move to the Congress. 

The sources said that if voters notice the BRS's changing stand on the BJP, it may help the Congress in the assembly polls. The party, which is riding high on its victory in neighbouring Karnataka last month, may get anti-incumbency votes that may have otherwise gone to the BJP in a straight three-way contest.  

The BRS has been in power in Telangana since its formation in 2014.