TRS, BJP bhai bhai?: KCR Meets BJP MLAs, sparks speculation

​Hyderabad:  The ruling TRS and BJP are likely to arrive at a secret understanding as part of which the pink party would only have “friendly” contest with the saffron party candidates in a few Assembly constituencies to help them win in the event of early elections after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolving the Assembly.

This will be in the form of KCR repaying gratitude to the BJP for cooperating with the TRS in ensuring the conduct of early elections to the state Assembly. The Chief Minister has already set the ball rolling by making a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers seeking their cooperation in the conduct of early elections and also address the long-pending issues related to the state a couple of days ago.

A day after returning from Delhi, KCR invited state BJP leaders and legislators to his official residence Pragati Bhavan and held a meeting with them for more than one hour.  It is learnt that KCR had sought state BJP’s support in fulfillment of the demands with regard to the state issues mainly the ratification of new zonal system, bifurcation of the High Court and other promises made under the AP Reorganisation Act, pending before the Centre.   

According to a reliable source, KCR held the meeting with the state BJP leaders with an objective to send a message to the BJP high command that his party is not considering the BJP a rival in Telangana.  “KCR wanted to maintain a cordial relationship with the Union government as well as the BJP leaders in the state. KCR and state BJP leaders’ meeting is a clear indication of the sudden bonhomie between the two parties,” the source said.                   

Keeping in mind his political interests, the source said that KCR is trying hard to allay the BJP high command’s apprehensions that his party is against the saffron party. In this backdrop, the meeting assumed political significance. It is learnt that the TRS and BJP will have an unwritten understanding under which the Telangana party will not fight seriously for the Assembly seats where the BJP has presence during the elections. 

The BJP is strong enough in 10 Assembly constituencies and Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat in Telangana. To satisfy the BJP high command, the TRS may field weak candidates in BJP strongholds in the elections, the source said.

At the meeting, the BJP leaders requested the Chief Minister to allot a piece of land in Hyderabad for installing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statue to which the latter responded positively. The BJP leaders who met KCR included party state president K Laxman, party floor leader in the Assembly G Kishan Reddy and MLC N Ramachandra Rao.