Modi In Telangana Speech
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Amaravati for the foundation stone laying ceremony on October 22, he carried with him two pots. One carried soil from Parliament House complex in New Delhi and the other water from River Yamuna. This, Modi wanted mixed in the soil of Amaravati, to convey that Delhi is with Andhra in the construction of a new capital and the re-construction of the residuary state.
Andhra was disappointed. Here Chandrababu Naidu was expected that Modi would make some big ticket announcement and he offered nothing more than two pots.
In Medak on Sunday, Modi did not offer even those two pots, joked those who watched. While chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao praised Modi to the skies, specially complimenting him on providing a corruption-free government in the last two years, Modi chose to pat himself on the back. He not only referred to KCR’s compliment on the dais, he even thanked him on Twitter.
Though Modi did say that KCR was obsessed with providing drinking water to every household in Telangana, the PM took the credit for it by reminding the crowd that the Telangana CM had sent officials to Kutch in Gujarat to study the success of the project there. The PM also did not respond to KCR’s specific requests on granting an AIIMS and an IIM and funding for Mission Kakatiya. Instead, he just said Delhi is not far and everything can be discussed.
For KCR, perhaps expecting a big bang announcement on Modi’s maiden visit to Telangana since becoming PM, it was a disappointment though he did not show it. He had organised the huge event in his own constituency, Gajwel in his home district of Medak, to showcase his development agenda and impress the PM.
The Telangana government had rolled out a red carpet welcome for the PM, despite not being part of the NDA. This was construed as KCR trying to forge a new political friendship on Friendship day. He even referred to the PM blessing his agitation for Telangana in 2009, when he was Gujarat CM.
But the BJP clearly is not in any hurry. Sources say the Telangana Rashtra Samiti could be a possible ally post 2019 elections should the BJP fall short of numbers. And Sunday’s rendezvous in KCR’s backyard is possibly the first step towards knowing each other better.
