Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao - who has in the past been a fierce critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi - wanted to join the party-led National Democratic Alliance "but I refused him entry", the PM claimed while campaigning for the Assembly election in the state. Shortly afterwards the Telangana leader's son, KT Rama Rao, responded, saying his father would never be "mad enough to want to join the NDA".
In dramatic fashion the Prime Minister declared Rao, or KCR as he is known, and his Bharat Rashtra Samithi made multiple attempts to join the NDA. These were personally rebuffed, the PM told a cheering crowd. "I said, 'we won't cheat people of Telangana. After that his mind was rattled."
The PM - whose BJP won a solitary seat in the 2018 Telangana election and is without a government in South India - said his refusal angered and "changed" KCR, whom he also accused of corruption and nepotism in an all-out attack in Nizamabad, about 180 km from state capital Hyderabad.
"I am going to tell you a secret... 100 per cent truth," the Prime Minister began, "When municipal elections happened (in 2020), nobody got a majority. BJP won 48 seats... KCR needed support. KCR showered me with love... gave me a shawl. This was not in KCR's character. And then he asked me to include him in NDA. 'You help us in Hyderabad municipality (election)', he said," the PM said. "I refused... told him we won't cheat of people of Telangana," the PM continued.
"They (the BRS) got angry (after being refused entry to the NDA). But then he (KCR) came back... told me he now wants to give all responsibility to KTR (KT Rama Rao, his son). 'I will send KTR, you please bless him', KCR told me..." the Prime Minister claimed.
Relations between the PM and KCR exploded last year with the latter launching a series of personal attacks at the former. The southern party was, before then, seen as a reliable outside partner of the BJP government. But once the Telangana leader began eyeing a national role, the two butted heads.
In July he slammed the PM as "the weakest" India has ever had, and referred to the BJP as "traitors, demons and dictators".