The upcoming meeting between Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first after they came to power in Telangana and the Centre respectively, is raising eyebrows. Both the parties, the TRS and the BJP, were at loggerheads in the state of Telangana in December 2018, when the BJP was trying to make in-roads in the state.
According to official sources, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao reached Delhi on Thursday evening and will meet PM Modi on Friday. The scheduled meeting has also garnered political significance given the pending issues that may come up for discussion.
The TRS government is demanding national status for Kaleshwaram irrigation project since its first tenure, along with a steel plant in Bayyaram as assured under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The government also seeks the setting up of a railway coach factory in Kazipet.
While TRS insiders say the meeting between CM KCR and PM Modi has ''no political significance'' but is aimed at getting the best for the state, sources close to the Chief Minister’s Office were tight-lipped about the meeting.
KCR may also seek funds for Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha, the state's irrigation and drinking water schemes, respectively.
The TRS and the Centre have been locking horns over the past few years, as the Telangana government has been requesting 160 acres of defence land in Secunderabad for the construction of two skyways — from Paradise to Kompally and JBS to Shamirpet — as part of the Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP). Proposals to widen roads along arterial stretches in Secunderabad are also pending. However, the Centre has not cleared permission for the same.
In August last year, K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR), the state minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), also told the Assembly that they had offered the Defence ministry 600 acres at the city's outskirts in exchange for the land within the city, but officials of both parties could not agree on the modalities as there would be a loss of property tax to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB).
Meanwhile, the BJP is alleging that the CM’s tour to Delhi is a mere "political gimmick" ahead of the Huzurnagar bye-election and the state municipal elections. BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said, "If the Chief Minister was interested in bringing national status to any project, he would have fulfilled the prerequisites for the projects. He just wants to give an impression that he is working for state and blame BJP by saying we are not doing enough."