HYDERABAD: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is likely to visit New Delhi in a week’s time to address a media briefing in order to explain the BRS agenda for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The CM's visit to the national capital is significant in light of the Congress convening its 85th plenary session in Chhattisgarh from February 24, when it is expected to deliberate and provide clarity on forging alliances with like-minded parties to topple the BJP-led government at the Centre.
"The CM's Delhi visit is aimed to elaborate further on BRS agenda for 2024 Lok Sabha polls and party's expansion plans to other states," a senior party leader said.
Recently, the CM was all praise for the Congress-led UPA government and Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. Addressing the Budget session of Legislative Assembly on February 12, the CM stated that Dr Singh's performance as PM was better than that of PM Narendra Modi and that the UPA government had outperformed the BJP-led NDA government.
The CM's visit to the national capital also comes following JDU chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar making a statement in Patna on February 18 that he was waiting for the Congress’s signal to work for uniting all the opposition parties. The Bihar CM had said the BJP wouldn’t cross 100 seats in 2024 if the unity takes place between opposition parties while appreciating the “grand response” to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.
This will be Chandrashekar Rao’s second visit to Delhi after he opened the BRS office in the national capital on December 14, 2022 following the approval given by the Election Commission for changing party name from the TRS to the BRS on December 8.
The CM, who stayed in Delhi from December 13 to 16, visited the BRS office only once after inauguration on December 16 and returned to Hyderabad on the same day triggering speculations that the CM was open to working with the Congress at the national level to dethrone the BJP government.
Rao is reportedly holding meetings with the party's senior leaders at Pragathi Bhavan to discuss the BRS agenda ahead of his Delhi visit for the past three days. "CM has decided to head for Delhi in a week. The exact schedule of the CM's visit is yet to be finalised. The CM is doing the groundwork on the issues to be raised in the media briefing. He is discussing with the party's senior leaders to identify the issues of national importance and immediate concern," a senior BRS leader said.
After the TRS rebranded itself as the BRS to foray into national politics on December 8 last, Rao addressed the BRS first public meeting in Khammam on January 18 and addressed the first public meeting outside Telangana on February 5 at Nanded in Maharashtra.
In both these meetings, the CM briefly touched upon what the BRS wants to achieve if it is elected to power at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Rao promised to implement the "Telangana model" of welfare schemes and development programmes across the country such as Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, Dalit Bandhu, free power to agriculture, uninterrupted power to all sectors, Mission Bhagiratha as well announced to introduce new policies on irrigation, power, drinking water, education, health among others.
