The BJP is once again livid with Telangana Chief Minister (CM) Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR). The CM once again skipped receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad airport, the third time this year. The PM arrived in Hyderabad to attend the BJP's National Executive meeting, and KCR was conspicuous by his absence.
Interestingly, the CM along with his cabinet ministers and a massive crowd of followers went to the Begumpet airport just a few hours before the PM's arrival to receive Yashwant Sinha, the opposition's Presidential candidate.
BJP state chief spokesperson Krishnasaagar Rao termed the CM's decision to snap the convention of greeting the PM on his arrival as a defense mechanism. He said, "CM KCR is looking like a rattled man, this is the third time he has skipped to follow the convention and protocol. He should give an explanation to the people."
He also took dig at the CM KCR saying that mere violation of protocol doesn't solve if he has any political problems.
KCR also addressed a crowd in Hindi in a bid to appeal to the wider audience, soon after a bike rally that snaked through the Begumpet and Necklace road till the Peoples' Plaza in support of Yashwant Sinha.
At the public meeting with Yashwant Sinha, KCR launched a scathing attack on the PM and said, "You have made several promises before winning, we want to know if even one of them was fulfilled."
He also accused the PM of failing the country's different fields while stating that farmers, unemployed persons and even employed people are not happy under the BJP rule.
This is the third time this year that KCR has avoided greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The previous instance was on May 26, 2022 when the PM landed in Hyderabad to attend the celebration of the completion of 20 years of Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad. On that day, KCR went to Bengaluru as part of national tour meeting various party leaders. He met former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) leader HD Deve Gowda. The BJP had then accused KCR of wantedly orchestrating the meeting on that particular day with the intention of avoiding the Prime Minister.
KCR had not received Modi on his arrival in Hyderabad on February 5, 2022 and also skipped the two programmes attended by the Prime Minister. During the day-long visit, the Prime Minister unveiled the statue of saint Ramanujacharya and inaugurated the 50th anniversary celebrations of ICRISAT. After the BJP questioned this, KCR's office had said that the CM did not receive the PM as a couple of his family members had COVID-19-like symptoms.