BRS to boycott Modi’s events in Telangana on Saturday

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana has announced a boycott of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official programmes, citing alleged discrimination against the state by the Centre. The party claims that Modi has not fulfilled promises made to the state, including the establishment of a railway coach factory and a tribal university. The BRS has denied allegations of an "unholy nexus" with the BJP, stating that it is the Congress party that is targeting the BRS government. The BJP has accused the BRS of being interested only in projects that bring them kickbacks.

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana on Friday announced boycott of the official programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to be held at Warangal on Saturday, citing alleged discrimination by the Centre against the state.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao announced boycott of official programmes of Prime Minister Narendra  Modi in Warangal. (PTI)

BRS working president and state information and industries minister K T Rama Rao announced this decision at a press conference in the afternoon. “We are not going to participate in the Prime Minister’s programmes in Warangal. We shall boycott him,” KTR, as the son of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao is known, said.

The minister said, “Right from day one of taking over as the Prime Minister, Modi had been showing step-motherly treatment towards Telangana by denying what was promised under the AP Reorganisation Act.”

“As per the promise, the Centre has to establish a railway coach factory at Kazipet. But Modi had shifted it to Dahod in Gujarat, for which he had laid the foundation stone last year for establishing it for ₹20,000 crore. He is now laying the foundation for a railway coach repair unit with just ₹521 crore. This is nothing but sheer discrimination against Telangana,” he said.

“He has no moral right to come to Telangana,” he said.

The BRS working president also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government of deliberately denying the establishment of a tribal university, which was promised to be set up at Mahabubabad, despite the state government allotting 360 acres for the same.

“Similarly, Modi has not fulfilled the promise of establishing a steel plant at Bayyaram in Khammam district. The people of Telangana will not forgive him for betraying their faith,” he said, adding that the BRS had decided to boycott the PM’s programme on Saturday in protest.

KTR also denied the charges of the Congress leaders that the BRS had an “unholy nexus with the BJP.

“It is the Congress party that is going soft on the BJP and targeting only the BRS government,” he said.

Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, newly-appointed BJP state president and Union tourism minister G Kishan Reddy said the BRS had no interest in implementing the projects launched by the Centre in Telangana but was interested only in those projects, which fetched them kickbacks.

“KCR’s family wants commissions in every project. The Prime Minister is going to expose this corrupt government in his public rally at Warangal on Saturday. Such family-based parties have caused immense damage to the country. Our entire effort is to bring a government that fulfils the aspirations of Telangana martyrs,” Kishan Reddy said.