Timing of KCR’s Delhi visit has tongues wagging

New Delhi: Confusion prevails over Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s ‘sudden visit’ to Delhi this weekend. Though the Telangana Bhawan officials were informed about his visit in the afternoon and asked to be tight-lipped about it, the information was passed on to those who look after his entourage comforts here in the morning itself.

Though Chandrashekar Rao’s itinerary is closely guarded, with media having little access to him or his programmes, it is being speculated here that this could be a ‘political visit’ ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle being planned by Amit Shah-Narendra Modi duo.

However, it has been maintained consistently by both Chandrashekar Rao and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s (TRS) Parliamentary Party leader A P Jithender Reddy that their party was not interested in becoming the ally of the BJP and join the NDA. But, every time the question of a reshuffle came up, political circles always debated whether the party would join hands with the BJP.

Being a shrewd planner, Chandrashekar Rao would not make any hasty move, it is believed in this regard. At the same time, he is not the one to close his eyes to the political realities too, according to TRS sources. After all, the BJP is not averse to cultivating new friends too if there is room for the manoeuvre. The BJP sources have been hinting at ‘various alternative’ in Telangana State including some executive moves to strike at the TRS government if the options of coming together are foreclosed.

It is said that Chandrashekar Rao would always make the best use of his visit to Delhi and test the waters appropriately. Whether this trip particularly is one such is to be seen.

If the TRS wishes to join the NDA brigade, at least two positions could be reserved for it in the Cabinet here, it is said. It could be speculative to say whether it would, but it would be interesting to watch who would blink first in the tense equation of the two.