KCR formally changes TRS to BRS at Telangana Bhavan

Hyderabad: The Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday formally launched the Bharat Rashtra Samithi as a national party at the party headquarters in Telangana Bhavan. Marking the occasion, he signed the official letter of the party at the auspicious time of 1.20 pm.

Soon after reaching the party State headquarters, the BRS Chief garlanded the statue of Telangana Thalli on the premises. He also performed a special pooja on the occasion. He was accompanied by JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, actor and social activist Prakash Raj, BRS working president KT Rama Rao, and a host of BRS leaders including Cabinet Ministers and other elected representatives.

Later, he hoisted the party's new pink flag with India's map and the name "Bharat Rashtra Samithi" printed on it in both Telugu and English. Immediately, the party cadre broke into celebrations outside Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad and in various parts of the State. They burst crackers and danced to drum beats apart from distributing sweets.

Chandrashekar Rao has convened a meeting shortly with the party leaders at Telangana Bhavan and is expected to share his action plan for the BRS with them. Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, the entire State Cabinet along with MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives attended the ceremony. National farmers union leaders also were present.

KCR who wants to make his own mark in national politics may now speed up the efforts to contest the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023 and constitute party units in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and some North Indians states, particularly where the farming community are in a majority.

KCR is also planning to hold a series of meetings with some political parties, farmers' organisations and employees' unions at national level before announcing the agenda of the BRS. It is also proposed to hold a meeting with legal, financial experts and former bureaucrats soon.

Party functionaries said that national and state-level BRS units will be constituted soon. The BRS chief will discuss the party strategy and other related issues on the first day of the meeting.

However, the Election Commission of India seems to have committed a goof-up as the letter sent by it to the TRS chief said K Chandrashekar Rao, TRS president, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh instead of Telangana.