KCR avoids meeting Modi again, dares PM and his party to topple TRS government

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao extended a grand welcome to Opposition's joint Presidential poll candidate Yashwant Sinha at the Begumpet airport on Saturday noon. The duty of receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a couple of hours later at the same place was left to state animal husbandry minister Srinivas Yadav.

This is the third time in less than five months that Rao has avoided meeting PM Modi in his state. In February, a “mild fever” was given as the reason for not extending the etiquette and in May, when Modi was coming to Hyderabad, Rao flew down to Bengaluru to meet the JD(S) leadership. It was Yadav who had received Modi the previous two times too.

PM Modi is now in Hyderabad on a two day visit – to attend the BJP's national executive meet and address a public rally on Sunday evening.

The TRS, which is at loggerheads with the BJP, had earlier this week announced its support to Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP member and union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was in Hyderabad to seek the votes of TRS MPs and MLAs in the Presidential polls later this month.

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Addressing the meeting, Rao launched another round of attack on Modi, accusing him of toppling nine state governments since he came to power and also "weakening the federal structure."

“Modi government is misusing the constitutional bodies, Opposition parties are targeted and leaders are harassed. This is murder of Indian democracy,” Rao said in apparent reference to the recent developments in Maharashtra.

Alleging that a Union minister has “threatened to topple the TRS government like BJP did in Maharashtra,” Rao challenged Modi to dethrone him.

"The TRS has a strength of over 100 MLAs in the 119 member Telangana Assembly. We are ready, waiting. And we are ready to unseat the BJP government at the Centre.”

While stating that "India lost its global reputation under Modi," Rao even put the blame of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka on the PM.

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“The PM influenced the Sri Lanka government to award contracts to his businessmen friends. The island nation's economy collapsed and India's reputation plummeted due to Modi's involvement there. Why Modi and his men are silent on the Sri Lanka crisis,” Rao questioned while demanding Modi to answer his questions while he was in Hyderabad.

CM Rao also demanded Modi to explain why his government is promoting coal imports.

“The Prime Minister is playing the role of salesman for the big businessmen in the country. If Modi is clean, he should clarify on the issues I have raised,” Rao said while also accusing PM of selling off the PSUs.