Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday, February 13, said he will soon have meetings with his Maharashtra and West Bengal counterparts Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Banerjee, as part of the efforts to unite various political parties against the BJP and the NDA government. He said he may go to Mumbai anytime soon to meet Thackeray while the West Bengal CM is expected to come to Hyderabad to meet KCR.
Charging that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government should be dumped for its alleged anti-people policies, he said he would play a major role in uniting anti-BJP political parties. Alleging that there was corruption in the Rafale fighter plane deal, Rao said he will approach the Supreme Court to bring out the truth.
“Mamata Behen (Mamata Banerjee) called me. We had a discussion over the phone. She invited me to Bengal or she'll come to Hyderabad…I said most welcome. She may come any time. We are discussing. There are so many political leaders across the nation,” KCR said when asked if he is still mooting the idea of non-BJP, non-Congress front.
“Mr Uddhav Thackeray is also waiting. They are waiting for me. I have to go to Mumbai. Once this Sri Ramanujacharya function is over I think I may go to Mumbai any time,” he further said. He, however, did not give a direct reply if he will lead the opposition parties saying, “One thing I promise you that I will play a major role in that.”
He also said as of now there was no firm plan as to how the opposition unity will take shape in future and people of the country should rise to the occasion. KCR said though he met several opposition leaders and Chief Ministers before 2019 polls, things went in a different way with BJP coming back to power. He said the present situation is now proving to be disastrous to the nation as day by day it is worsening.
"Country is fully filled with religious emotions which are not desirable, which are uncalled for, which are unwanted and not good for the country,” he said, slamming the NDA government. Rao said petrol and diesel prices will go up after the Assembly polls in UP.
Asked if he will work with the Congress, KCR said he cannot predict anything. "I cannot predict anything like that. All forces have to unite and shunt out BJP. First we have to do this, later whatever is to happen will happen," he said.
On the Hijab row in Karnataka he said it is not desirable. He alleged that the Union government is exerting pressure on the state government to implement draft power reforms even before they are passed by Parliament and become an Act.
"It is constitutional violence. Even before the law is passed, they are trying to enforce it. It is an insult to the Parliament. It is cheating the people of this country, KCR fumed adding Telangana will not implement the reforms proposed by the Union government. Lending support to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who demanded proof of the surgical strike, KCR said half of the country including himself wants to know the truth.
Alleging that there was corruption to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees, KCR said the same Rafale jets were bought by the Indonesian government at a lesser price. We will also file a case in Supreme Court and bring out the theft, he said.
Rao said Modi openly campaigned for former US president Donald Trump during his 2019 'Howdy Modi' programme in Houston. "Is the US election some Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation election? How can Modi give a call for ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar' from US soil?” he questioned, saying that India lost its respect now after Trump's defeat.
He demanded that the Constitution has to be changed so as to increase the reservation to Dalits whose population has gone up to 19% in the country.