PM's remarks over BRS' wish to join NDA douses rumours of understanding between BRS, BJP: Javadekar

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that he had rejected Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's request to join the NDA in 2020 has put an end to rumours of a tacit understanding between BJP and BRS spread by the Congress, senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday. Javadekar, who is BJP's election incharge in Telangana, said such speculations have been put to rest. "On the contrary, BRS and Congress are one. We have shown this 10 times.

Everybody knows how they (BRS and Congress) were in alliance, how they wanted to merge, how (CM KCR) was a minister in the cabinet (during UPA regime)," he told reporters here. The former Union Minister, pointed to Congress MLAs switching over to BRS in 2019 to buttress his claim. He asserted that the BJP would defeat the ruling party in the upcoming Telangana assembly elections.

Dejected over being denied entry into NDA, CM Chandrasekhar Rao and his BRS were not adhering to protocol to receive the PM during his visits to the state, he alleged. Condemning the statement made by BRS Working President K T Rama Rao in response to Modi's remarks, he said KCR and KTR should state whether the former met PM. "He (Rama Rao) calls PM a liar ? Modi ji told the truth. KCR, KTR should say whether they met PM or not? Did you evince interest in joining the NDA or not? You could not join (NDA) as PM had rejected.

Why don't you tell this truth?" he asked. Javadekar further said that people of Telangana would teach a lesson to ruling BRS and its MLAs over its "loot". Setting the stage for a fiery campaign between the BJP and the ruling BRS ahead of the upcoming state elections, PM Modi had on Tuesday said in Nizamabad that the BRS was reeling under a rejection of the party's interest in being a part of the BJP-led NDA. Rama Rao had termed the Prime Minister's claim of BRS wanting to join the NDA as 'white lies' and called BJP the "Biggest Jhoot Factory."

Meanwhile, state Congress president A Revanth Reddy today claimed that the allegation of the NDA government not acting against KCR over corruption due to a tacit understanding between the BRS and BJP was proved by Modi's remarks. Referring to the graft charges levelled by Modi against CM Chandrasekhar Rao, Revanth Reddy sought to know why no action was taken against Rao when CBI, IT and ED cases are registered against leaders in various states. Addressing a public meeting in Telangana in July this year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had attacked Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao, alleging that Rao's remote control was with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also described the ruling BRS as BJP's "B-Team" and its new nomenclature, BRS, as 'BJP Rishtedar Samithi'