Hyderabad: After a gap of several years, Telangana people witnessed their Chief Minister mingling with the Prime Minister in public, and amiably at that.
In an unexpected display of bonhomie, Congress leader and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy called PM Narendra Modi “big-brother”, without whose support the states cannot prosper.
Revanth Monday flew to Adilabad, about 300 km north of Hyderabad, in a chopper and received Modi visiting the state for the first time since Congress took over from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in December. Modi’s visit comes just ahead of the anticipated announcement of the general election schedule in March.
The two leaders shared a dais at an official event in Adilabad, where Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for a multitude of developmental projects in the power, rail, and road sectors, worth Rs 56,000 crore.
Revanth greeted Modi with a shawl and the two, sitting next to each other, were seen engaged in a lively chat on stage, shaking hands several times during the course of the event that lasted about 30 minutes.
Revanth’s gestures stand in stark contrast to those of his predecessor, K. Chandrashekar Rao, who notably avoided meeting Modi during the PM’s visits to Hyderabad for government programs and project inaugurations over the past two years.
Previously, the BJP has accused KCR of disregarding protocols and showing disrespect towards constitutional positions.
In his speech Monday, Revanth obliquely lambasted KCR for his “confrontational engagement with the PM and the Centre.”
“In a hostile climate between state and Centre, it’s the public that ends up suffering. Parties can engage in politics during polls. Elected governments continuing to fight with the Centre later can leave the state behind in growth,” Revanth said, adding that this is why he went to meet the PM in New Delhi soon after assuming office for the state’s benefit, “explaining various issues including those from the bifurcation time”.
Revanth expressed gratitude saying that PM Modi responded positively, and cited the transfer of 190 acres cantonment land in Secunderabad to the state government for a skyways project as an example.
“PM for me means bade bhai (elder brother); only with such an approach, and support can CMs do some good in their states,” Revanth said while seeking the PM’s backing “to develop Telangana like Gujarat”.
KCR and BRS leaders, particularly K.T. Rama Rao, the working president and then Minister for IT and Industries, were known for their criticism of Modi and the BJP, accusing them of favouring Gujarat by concentrating growth, funds, and projects there, while neglecting states like Telangana with significant potential for development.
“Hyderabad is one of the five metropolitan cities and Telangana wants to contribute to your vision of India becoming a five trillion-dollar economy. So, please do support us,” Revanth Reddy said, specifically asking for funds for his Musi River rejuvenation project plan “on the lines of the Sabarmati project in Ahmedabad”.
Revanth also asked Modi to help get Maharashtra government’s nod for Telangana to construct Tummidi-Hatti project to provide water to the parched, tribal concentrated Adilabad region.
“We will not fight with the Centre and, in fact, operate in consultation with them for the state’s growth. We want a humane, transactional relationship with you. Your aashirwad (blessings) should be there with us,” the CM said, ending his speech with a “dhanyavaad, mitron (thank you, friends)”.
The PM reciprocated the CM’s overtures, thanking him for coming all the way from Hyderabad to participate in the programme with him, and expressing his confidence that “they will move forward together in the growth journey”.
Modi said his government is supporting “every way to fulfill the development dreams of Telangana people”. “We are moving with the mantra that ‘nation’s development is through development of states’,” he said.
Revanth Reddy will also see Modi off later Tuesday.
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‘Revanth needs Centre’s support’
As the Congress prepares to fight the BJP’s might to regain power at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Revanth Reddy’s overt friendliness towards Modi has caught the public’s attention.
Political analysts attribute several reasons for Revanth “vying to be in Modi’s good books.”
“Having inherited a state stuck deep in debts and the promise of six welfare guarantees to fulfill, Revanth needs the Centre’s support more than any other CM. Secondly, by doing and saying what he did today, Revanth sent a message to the public that ex-CM KCR’s confrontations with the Centre have harmed Telangana’s interests,” Vasireddy Srinivas, a Hyderabad based political commentator, told ThePrint.
“We should also note that Revanth’s government has a simple majority, with BRS leaders issuing threats that his government will fall soon. So, no harm in praising Modi on that count too,” he added.
In the 119-seat Telangana assembly, Congress holds 64, the BRS 39, BJP eight, AIMIM seven, and CPI (Congress ally) one.
“Anyway, it is heartening to see a Congress CM making such statements in pursuit of funds etc. In earlier times, these CMs would have had to take permission from the high command to even meet the BJP PM,” said Vasireddy.
Associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in his student life, Revanth Reddy began his political career over two decades ago with the then fledgling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS). He served as two-time Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA before joining the Congress in 2017.
However, political scientist K Purushotham Reddy said Revanth’s utterances should be seen only from state administration and development aspect and not from the BJP vs Congress prism.
“What KCR resorted to was degenerative politics, disregarding the concept of unity and cooperation in federalism. Younger CM Revanth’s approach is a welcome shift considering Telangana’s needs, its people’s aspirations. KCR’s stance showed ego, a mentally unsound way of maintaining relations with the Centre. By assuming the right tone, outlook with the PM/Centre today, Revanth is moving in the correct direction to put the state back on the right growth path,” Prof Reddy said.
The last time KCR called on the PM was in September 2021, when the then CM took some pending aspects, and demands like Integrated Textile Park to his notice for clearance.
However, in a startling revelation before the Telangana polls, Modi said KCR had met him then “to actually seek his blessings for KTR (K.T. Rama Rao) to be made the next CM.”
“I reminded him that we are in a democracy and asked him if he thinks he is some Raja or Maharaja … it is for the Telangana people to decide their ruler (government),” Modi had said in a rally in Nizamabad in October.
“That was my last meeting with KCR, after which he never dared to come face to face with me,” Modi had said, adding that the corrupt fear sharing a stage with him. The PM also said that KCR had met him once earlier too where he “rejected the BRS chief’s offer to join the NDA”.
Speaking to reporters Monday, BRS legislator and KCR’s daughter K. Kavitha said Revanth calling Modi ‘elder brother’ “exposes the political nexus between the BJP and Congress” in Telangana. “It is good practice but unfortunately this elder brother gave nothing to Telangana. He should have a bigger heart at least now and it is the CM’s duty to extract more funds for our state,” she said.
Notably, PM Modi’s first visit to Telangana under KCR was also a display of camaraderie.
In August 2016, in his first term, K Chandrasekhar Rao called Modi “Bharat desh ke atyant lokpriya neta (the most popular leader in the country)”, while thanking him for delivering a “historic, 100 percent corruption free governance”.
The venue was KCR’s assembly constituency Gajwel where Modi made his maiden visit in the youngest state, to inaugurate Mission Bhagiratha, then TRS government’s flagship project to supply piped drinking water to every household.
Modi reciprocated likewise in the public rally, extolling KCR’s “passion for the new state’s development, especially in water related matters”.
Later that year, KCR strongly backed Modi’s demonetisation decision, too.
However, their relationship began to sour a year later, in November 2017, with KCR starting to criticise the Union government, accusing it of disregarding “cooperative federalism”. The political enmity, observers say, soared with BJP winning four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in the 2019 polls.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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