BRS calls Maharashtra tour successful, KCR earns wrath of Shiv Sena, Congress

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrashekar Rao is in an upbeat mood over the response to BRS in Maharashtra, but Maha leaders are upset. Back from the pilgrimage-cum-political tour of Pandharpur in Solapur District and Tuljapur in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra, KCR is now planning another big public meeting in Nanded soon. CM KCR reached Pragathi Bhavan at 10.45 pm on Tuesday night.

Sources in the BRS party told NewsMeter that the response to KCR and BRS party was beyond what was expected and the chief minister is keen to advance the BRS party into Maharashtra notwithstanding criticism from rival Shiv Sena rival factions, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress parties. BJP has been by and large silent about KCR’s latest move.

“It was a very successful tour. The response from the public was beyond our expectations. People lined up on either side of the road to welcome us. Actually, chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his entourage went to offer prayers to Shri Vitthal Rukmini temple in Pandharpur and Tula Bhavani temple in Tuljapur. Since we were coming, the local BRS leaders arranged a meeting and some new members were added to the party,” K Keshava Rao, BRS secretary general and MP told NewsMeter.

He added, “There was a tremendous response all through the journey and people wholeheartedly welcomed us at various villages. About 30,000 attended the public meeting.” Keshava Rao was among the scores of ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior party leaders who travelled with KCR.

Malkapuram Shiva Kumar, chairman, Combined Medak District Cooperative Marketing Society (DCMS), said the people were impressed by the welfare schemes in Telangana State, especially farmers because of schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bheema etc. BRS has created a positive impression among the people, especially farmers in Maharashtra and this has jolted the parties in the neighbouring state.

Shankar Anna Dhongde, BRS leader in Maharashtra, said there was a very good response from people and the people of Maharashtra were yearning for a change. However, KCR earned the wrath of Shiv Sena and Congress parties for trying to make political capital out of an annual festival in Pandharpur.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde was quick to curtail political mileage to KCR by denying permission to shower rose flower petals by helicopter on Waris visiting the temple and also directed the local administration to remove all political cutouts and banners from the vicinity of the Vithoba Temple.

Media reports claimed KCR led a 600-vehicle entourage, but a BRS leader disputed it saying there were about 300 vehicles. “The figure is exaggerated. Around 300 vehicles mean 3 km long,” he added.

KCR entourage faced bottlenecks in Umerga and other places en route from the local police due to the Pandharpur Waris yatra. They were initially denied permission to drive a large number of vehicles but were allowed later after assurances that they would not disturb the annual yatra to Pandharpur.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar too took a dig at KCR saying there was no objection to a chief minister of a neighbouring state coming to offer prayers, “but the attempt to show big strength in terms of number of vehicles was worrisome.”

On KCR holding a public meeting in Sarkoli village, he said it would have been better if the visit focussed on enhancing mutual cooperation between the two states.

He also took light of Bhagirath Bhalke joining BRS. “Bhalke had unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Pandharpur Assembly bypoll on an NCP ticket and there was no need to worry if the individual left the party. Our decision to give a ticket to him was wrong,” he said.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut too fumed at KCR saying “There will be no impact of Telangana CM KCR on Maharashtra politics. If KCR will do drama like this, he will lose Telangana also. Fearing loss, he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday. This is a fight between KCR and Congress. MVA is strong in Maharashtra.” Raut, who is also the executive editor of Dainik Saamana, Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, also flayed KCR in his paper.

Advocate Nikhil Kamble from Maharashtra, commenting on KCR’s visit, said, “Maharashtra is facing thousands of issues. No one from Maharashtra is interested in his visit. Women are being attacked, students are protesting over exam leaks, there is corruption in the conduct of exams, hostels are poorly maintained, youth is waiting for employment, farmers are committing suicides due to the failure of the MSP facility by the government, etc. These issues are there in Telangana too which shows that KCR failed in governance. So, Maharashtrians are not at all interested in his visit with 600 cars.”

- with inputs from Kaniza Garari