"PM's Remarks On KCR Prove There Is No Tacit Understanding": BJP Leader

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that he had rejected Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's request to join the NDA in 2020 has put an end to rumours of a tacit understanding between BJP and Bharat Rashtra Samithi spread by the Congress, senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.

Mr Javadekar, who is the BJP's election in-charge in Telangana, said such speculation has been put to rest.

"On the contrary, BRS and Congress are one. We have shown this 10 times. Everybody knows how they (BRS and Congress) were in alliance, how they wanted to merge, how (chief minister KCR) was a minister in the cabinet (during the UPA regime)," he told reporters here.

The former Union Minister pointed to Congress MLAs switching over to BRS in 2019 to buttress his claim.

He asserted that the BJP would defeat the ruling party in the upcoming Telangana assembly elections.

Dejected over being denied entry into NDA, CM Chandrasekhar Rao and his BRS were not adhering to protocol to receive the PM during his visits to the state, he alleged

Condemning the statement made by BRS Working President KT Rama Rao in response to Modi's remarks, he said KCR and KTR should state whether the former met the PM.

"He (Rama Rao) calls PM a liar ? Modiji told the truth. KCR, KTR should say whether they met PM or not? Did you evince interest in joining the NDA or not? You could not join (NDA) as PM had rejected (your request). Why don't you tell this truth?" he asked.

Mr Javadekar further said that the people of Telangana would teach a lesson to the ruling BRS and its MLAs over its "loot".

Setting the stage for a fiery campaign between the BJP and the ruling BRS ahead of the upcoming state elections, PM Modi had on Tuesday said in Nizamabad that the BRS was reeling under a rejection of the party's interest in being a part of the BJP-led NDA.

KTR had termed the Prime Minister's claim of BRS wanting to join the NDA as 'white lies' and called BJP the "Biggest Jhoot Factory."

Meanwhile, state Congress president A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday claimed that the allegation of the NDA government not acting against KCR over corruption due to a tacit understanding between the BRS and BJP was proved by Modi's remarks.

Referring to the corruption charges levelled by PM Modi against CM Chandrashekar Rao, Mr Revanth Reddy sought to know why no action was taken against Mr Rao when CBI, IT and ED cases are registered against leaders in various states.

Addressing a public meeting in Telangana in July this year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also attacked KCR, alleging that his remote control was with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also described the ruling BRS as BJP's "B-Team" and its new nomenclature, BRS, as 'BJP Rishtedar Samithi'.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)