BRS to expand wings from Maharashtra and Karnataka

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the new name adopted by Telangana Rashtra Samithi will initially focus on Maharashtra and Karnataka to expand its activities but its target will be 2024 Lok Sabha elections, TRS working president K T Rama Rao said on Friday.

He said that since the Telangana model is better known in neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, the national party will focus on these states.

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, told reporters that in Karnataka Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy has agreed to work with BRS. He, however, evaded questions if BRS would work with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

He pointed out that people in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra were demanding their respective state governments to replicate the schemes being implemented in Telangana.

KTR also parried questions about BRS plans for Andhra Pradesh. When asked if BRS would contest elections in states like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He said while 2024 parliamentary elections will be the target of BRS, party president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will take a call on contesting Assembly elections scheduled before that in some states.

KTR said the idea behind TRS going national is to take the Telangana model at the national level and bring real issues faced by people to the centre-stage of the national political discourse.

The TRS working president said BRS would expose the BJP and the failures of the Narendra Modi government.

"We want to promote the vibrant Telangana model to the rest of India. We want to expose BJP which raises certain issues to polarise people to create confusion and win elections. 2024 Lok Sabha elections are our target. We need both time and opportunity to prove ourselves," he said.

Stating that TRS has fought a long battle for Telangana, he said BRS was now ready to fight a long battle to bring the country's political discourse on the right course.

"During last eight years of formation, Telangana has successfully shown this country a new model of governance. We have pioneered, we have come out with benchmarking and path-breaking flagship projects. We are extremely proud of what we have been able to deliver and accomplish," he said.

KTR said Telangana showed to the country that 24-hour free electricity can be supplied to farmers and every house can be supplied with potable water. He said the youngest state overcame the problem of electricity shortage. The schemes implemented by Telangana helped its farmers to compete with farmers of Punjab and Haryana in terms of yield.

KTR also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called him the most incompetent, most inept and inefficient Prime Minister of independent India. He also remarked that media has lost its spine as it does not question the Prime Minister over his failures.

"Highest unemployment in 45 years is what Modi has delivered in eight years. What he has delivered is the highest inflation in 30 years and highest LPG price ever in the world," he said.

KTR alleged that Modi had been using ED, CBI, IT and other central agencies as his hunting dogs against the leaders of opposition parties. He said the BRS was not scared of the modus operandi of Modi.

"We will fight them, expose them and thoroughly outwit them. Our leader has the ability and we will certainly show it," he said.

KTR said during the last 6-7 months, KCR spoke to many political leaders, economists, farmers' leaders and people from various walks of life. "We decided to go national but we know the hurdles before us. We know what it takes to be recognised as a national party," he said.

He said that whatever KCR does, he does with commitment, dedication and focused approach.

"When he founded TRS, some people ridiculed him but he achieved his goal. Today some people are again ridiculing him for going national. This is nothing new. We are used to it. KCR is a leader with steely resolve and whatever he does, there is strategy and clear-cut agenda," he said.