It was a moment of bonhomie between Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar on Wednesday as the duo launched verbal attacks on the BJP-led Centre. Calling Kumar his “bade bhai” (big brother), KCR blamed the saffron unit for the many problems plaguing the country and called for a “BJP-mukt Bharat” (BJP-free India).
Addressing a joint press briefing, KCR, however, refrained from answering questions on a possible leader to head the united opposition, and whether Congress will be on board.
“These things will be decided in due course. We are in no hurry,” the Telangana CM was quoted as saying by PTI.
KCR also skirted questions on if Kumar will be chosen as the prime ministerial candidate for the opposition camp. In an indirect response, he said, “Nitish Kumar is among the senior-most and best leaders in the country.”
KCR - who is always highly vocal against the BJP - was also asked about the joint opposition's prime ministerial candidate and the role of the grand old party in that front. It is to be noted that KCR's Telangana Rashtra Samithi is doggedly opposed to Congress.
During the briefing, KCR lashed out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed regime at the Centre and blamed it for “capital drain”. Referring to the introduction of recruitment model ‘Agnipath’ and the privatisation spree, KCR spoke about Bihar's demand for special category status being rejected.
{{/usCountry}}During the briefing, KCR lashed out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed regime at the Centre and blamed it for “capital drain”. Referring to the introduction of recruitment model ‘Agnipath’ and the privatisation spree, KCR spoke about Bihar's demand for special category status being rejected.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, KCR gave away ₹10 lakh each to the families of five soldiers, who were martyred in the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, and ₹5 lakh each to the kin of 12 labourers, who were killed in a fire incident at a scrap factory in Hyderabad in March.
Kumar thanked KCR, and showered praises on the works he did in Telangana following the state's creation. “Don’t worry what kind of things people say against you. Telangana people will never forget your contribution…How people criticise you is beyond me, but some people are only on propaganda and publicity without doing any concrete work,” the Bihar CM said at a function in Patna.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Kumar also took a dig at the BJP, saying that opposition has to work together to “kill this poison”. He also praised KCR for putting forward Telangana as an example of how all states can participate in each other's moments of joy and sorrow.