The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a regional party in Telangana, has ended its boycott of meetings called by the Centre, suggesting a possible closeness with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. BRS’s former MP and vice-chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board, B Vinod Kumar, attended an all-party meeting on the Manipur situation over the weekend, marking the end of its boycott of such meetings since November 2020.
The decision comes as a surprise given that BRS leader and Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), had been critical of the central government’s discriminatory attitude towards the state and had boycotted meetings chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, in recent days, KCR has stopped attacking Modi and the BJP, calling the prime minister a good friend and avoiding criticism of the ruling party at public meetings.
This shift in approach has led to speculation that the BRS could be changing its stance towards the BJP, with KCR’s son and state minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) visiting Delhi to meet central ministers. KTR met with Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Piyush Goel to discuss state-specific issues. He also explained that the BRS does not subscribe to the view that the BJP or Congress should be the nucleus of any front or coalition and that the party believes in uniting people on issues rather than parties.
While the BRS’s decision to end its boycott and attend the all-party meeting may indicate a possible closeness with the ruling BJP, Congress leaders have questioned the party’s motives. Manikrao Thakre, AICC in-charge for Telangana, has called the BRS the B team of BJP and alleged that KCR’s recent comments about Modi were a gimmick aimed at boosting the Congress’s image ahead of the 2024 polls. The state unit of BJP has also dismissed KCR’s remarks as a gimmick and accused him of trying to damage the party’s graph.
The end of BRS’s boycott of central meetings raises questions about the party’s stance towards the BJP and its future plans. As Telangana prepares for the state assembly elections, the political landscape in the region could see significant changes with the BRS’s recent actions.
