Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao - who has in the past been a fierce critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi - wanted to join the party-led National Democratic Alliance "but I refused him entry", the PM claimed Tuesday while campaigning for the Assembly election due later this year. Shortly afterwards the Telangana leader's son, KT Rama Rao, responded, saying his father would never be "mad enough to want to join the NDA". In dramatic fashion the Prime Minister declared Mr Rao, or KCR as he is known, and his Bharat Rashtra Samithi made multiple attempts to join the NDA. These were personally rebuffed, the PM told a cheering crowd. "I said, 'we won't cheat people of Telangana. After that his mind was rattled."