A year after the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was allotted land by the Union government in Delhi, on September 2 Thursday, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone of the building. This is being considered a milestone for the two-decade-old TRS party. The TRS party office will be called Telangana Bhavan, like the party’s headquarters in Hyderabad and will be built on 1,100 square metre of land in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.
The fact that the Telangana Chief Minister is a stanch believer of numerology and ardently follows 'Vaastu' is no secret. Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by priests and with elaborate religious rituals, the foundation stone was laid at the 'auspicious' time of 1.48 p.m. KCR's cabinet colleagues, MPs, state legislators and several party leaders attended the ceremony. TRS is claimed to be the first political party from South India to open its office in Delhi. Sources in the DMK told TNM that their office too would be opened shortly.
The TRS chief along with some top party leaders had reached Delhi by a special aircraft on Wednesday. TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who is son of KCR, had already reached the national capital to supervise the arrangements for the foundation stone laying ceremony. Many of the ministers from the state cabinet, MLAs and MLCs were put up in suites in Hotel Ashoka, many others were also allotted rooms in the Bhavan.
While some felt the new party office in Delhi was an attempt to revive the third front plans, many disagree. Speaking to TNM, senior journalist Pavan Kumar said that KCR always had an eye on national politics, and it was imperative to have a political address in the national capital.
He said, “There is no situation favouring a third front presently and it is unlikely that the Delhi office will have anything to do with it. The Delhi TRS office was long-pending. Elections are not anytime soon. KCR’s politics is sentiment-based, emotion-based and situation-based. Currently there is no situation where a third front talk is essential. Prashant Kishore's determination to bring the Congress to power 2024 will definitely impact KCR's thinking about the federal front.”
Kumar also felt that a politician like KCR would wait for more clarity on the political scenario.
BJP’s Chief Spokesperson K.Krishna Saagar Rao felt that there is no great significance attached to the ground breaking ceremony in Delhi.
“Performing Bhumi puja for the TRS party office in Delhi is a regular ritual for any new building. However, CM KCR is habituated to making a public spectacle out of any regular event. KCR certainly has unfulfilled national ambitions and dreams. However, they have remained just day dreams so far. I don't foresee any change in fortune for him in national politics in the future, as he has a track record of being extremely unreliable as an ally. KCR is a 'Touch-me-not' for opposition parties across the nation. No one among the opposition parties in India considers KCR and his party TRS as reliable and trustworthy to work with," he said.
State minister for roads and buildings V. Prashanth Reddy said the three-storeyed building will have a conference hall, library and audio-visual theater. He said the TRS office in the national capital will serve as a research centre. The minister said Telangana Bhavan will also be a platform in Delhi to highlight the welfare schemes being implemented in Telangana.
KT Rama Rao meanwhile described the foundation stone laying of TRS office as a significant development for the party, which completed 20 years in April. KCR himself is overseeing the design and execution of the project, which is being planned in a manner that would make it stand out as a symbol of self-respect of Telangana. The building will cater to the needs of TRS leaders and activists visiting the national capital. Party sources said it would also be accessible to the people of Telangana who are in Delhi, during distress.
The Centre had allotted land for TRS office last year but the foundation stone laying was delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic. The land allotment was made as per the rules, which prescribe that all political parties with a minimum of seven members in Parliament are eligible for allotment of land for their party office in Delhi.
TRS, which has 16 members in Parliament, was allotted two plots measuring 550 square meters by the land and development office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. TNM learnt from a source that CM KCR has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(With IANS inputs)