CM KCR to chair crucial TRS meeting to counter BJP in next Assembly polls

Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will hold a crucial meeting on Tuesday to discuss the strategy to strengthen the organisation and counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the run up to the next Assembly elections.

A joint meeting of TRS Legislative Party (MLAs and MLCs), Parliamentary Party (MPs) and TRS State Executive will be held at Telangana Bhavan. It will be presided over by Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The meeting is likely to discuss a strategy to gear up the party for next year's Assembly elections. It is also likely to analyse the party's performance in the recent by-election to Munugodu Assembly seat.

The TRS won the by-election with its candidate K. Prabhakar Reddy defeating BJP's Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy by a margin of over 10,000 votes.

The party was expecting a majority of over 20,000 votes and the meeting may discuss the reasons for shortcomings and how to overcome them in future.

With the BJP going aggressive with the goal of capturing power in 2023, the TRS chief is likely to give directions to the leaders on how to counter the saffron surge.

The decision to convene the key meeting came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Telangana. While addressing BJP workers at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Modi had launched a bitter attack on TRS and claimed that 'Lotus' (BJP's poll symbol) is all set to bloom in Telangana.

At Tuesday's meeting, KCR may give guidelines to TRS leaders on effectively countering BJP by informing people about a slew of development and welfare schemes launched by the state government, highlighting the Centre's discriminatory attitude towards the state and the Centre's failure to fulfill the commitments.

Since this is the first meeting after the arrest of three alleged agents of BJP while trying to 'buy' four MLAs of TRS, KCR is also expected to caution the legislators against the BJP's attempts to lure them with offers of huge cash, key positions and other benefits.

The three accused including two godmen were arrested on November 26 near Hyderabad when they were trying to lure the four MLAs with an offer of Rs 250 crore. On a tip-off by one of the MLAs, the police arrested the accused.

On November 3, KCR made the audio and video recordings of the accused public and alleged a conspiracy by BJP to topple the TRS government. He sent these recordings to the Chief Justice of India, judges of the Supreme Court and chief justice of the state high courts with an appeal to save democracy in the country.

The TRS chief may ask party leaders at Tuesday's meeting to expose the BJP conspiracy across the state.

The meeting is also expected to address organisational matters in the wake of the decision taken last month to change the party's name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to expand its activities to other states.

KCR may explain to the party leaders the agenda and the strategy of BRS and give them guidelines on how the party should function at different levels with the new name.