Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows how to cut people to size. He has been demonstrating this trait ever since he took over the country’s reins nearly three years ago. Earlier, it happened with stalwarts like LK Advani and it is happening with state chief ministers, particularly with the Telugu heads of governments K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu.
At the moment, KCR is very much in the news as he is hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Summit from November 28 to 30 at which who is who of corporate world will be present. The cynosure of the event is, of course, Ivanka Trump, who is leading a planeload of American honchos at the summit.
In fact, so much is written about the 36-year-old daughter of US President Donald Trump that Hyderabadis are overfed with details of where she will stay, eat, shop and go sightseeing during her three-day visit to the City of Nawabs. Dry humour making rounds on Telugu social media about her is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on KCR government fawning over Ivanka.
Basking in such golden moments of Telangana, the Chief Minister apparently wanted to speak for 20 minutes at the GES summit. But, if reports are to be believed, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) cut it short to 3 minutes. That means he has to stick to welcome words, no speech about how he is shaping the youngest state as a land of milk and honey. On the other hand, Modi is expected to take about 20 minutes, nearly half the official GES opening time.
One wonders, is it deliberate or is it Modi way of telling KCR who calls the shots, although the event is jointly organised by American and Indian governments.
There is more to it than meets the eye. The Chief Minister’s recent pronouncements about increasing quota for minorities and his reported bid to campaign for it among other states to pressurise the Central government for a constitutional amendment to avoid legal challenges have not gone down too well with the BJP leadership. Nor KCR is too happy with the way the Centre is sitting on his proposals to increase the number of Assembly seats and districts. In other words, his driving point is states need more autonomy.
Though Modi is visiting Hyderabad for the GES summit and inaugurating the Metro on November 28, the itinerary follows to the last letter in the agenda. Except exchanging pleasantries, KCR, for that matter, AP Chief Minister who will be among the VIPs, he may not be able to talk anything else with PM.
Modi’s treatment of Chandrababu Naidu is no different. TDP-BJP relations have always been blow hot and cold. Their differences range from funds for Amaravati construction to allotment of projects, and, of course, special status for AP.
With Venkaiah Naidu, a staunch supporter of AP who stood by it through thick and thin, becoming Vice-President of India, Chandrababu has lost AP’s effective voice at the Centre.
