KCR did what he is best at- wow Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his impressive speech- during the latter’s maiden visit to Telangana.

But he did more than that – the maverick CM took a jibe at his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu in his nearly 20-minute speech delivered flawlessly in Deccani Urdu.

Taking a potshot at Chandrababu Naidu, KCR said that he would not like to make impossible demands. “No, I will not ask you for 15,000 crore or 1 lakh crore…. I am a responsible Chief Minister, I know how it is like running a government. But I will ask you for something – your love for this new state, your blessings for this youngest state,” KCR said.

In the backdrop of Chandrababu Naidu’s and AP’s consistent ‘whining’ over a bucket list of demands from the Centre, KCR appeared to convey the message that he was more easy to work with and be friends with.

The BJP leadership, especially Modi, was apparently a little cut up with TDP leadership for harrying the Centre over various bifurcation issues. Given this context, KCR’s words must have come as sweet music to Modi’s years. KCR’s timing is also perfect as there has been talk that the BJP has been preparing ground for an electoral tie-up with TRS in 2019 elections.

Only KCR could get away with such ‘out of the blue’ warmth as not very long ago he called the Prime Minister ‘Hitler’. Both his son K T Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao too were very harsh in their criticism of Modi in the past. Today, Harish, sitting on the dais, was seen chuckling at his uncle’s pitch to Modi.

KCR also reminded Modi that they had met for the first time in Ludhiana in an NDA meeting, where the then Gujarat Chief Minister extended his full support to the creation of Telangana state.

Curiously, despite KCR’s earnestness to please Modi throughout his speech, the latter seemed distracted and even a little cold – he seemed preoccupied in his own thoughts.

— Vijaya