BJP, TRS in patch up mode

Hyderabad: Does the TRS-led Telangana State government and the BJP-led government in the Centre have a new-found friendship between them? Are these parties which have not seen eye-to-eye for the last six months are trying to reach out to each other?

• Of late, both are seen cosying up to each other
• Union Ministers heaping praise on TRS govt
• State BJP leaders also soft towards the govt
• They had favoured alliance with TRS in polls
• KCR toes line of the Modi govt on Plan Panel
• Unlike in past, he is visiting Delhi frequently

If statements of Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad during his visit to Hyderabad on Saturday are anything to go by, then it looks like both the TRS and the BJP governments are trying to patch up.

Ravi Shankar heaped praises on Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, adding that both of them were competing on the development front. This reaction was in stark contrast to the statements in the past by his cabinet colleagues. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal had criticised the TRS government in no uncertain terms when he said that he did not receive any SoS message despite acute power crisis in the State.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was reluctant to visit New Delhi to lobby with the Union government on various issues concerning the new state, while his AP counterpart Chandrababu Naidu made frequent visits to the national capital in the first few months.

However, there seems to be a major shift in Rao’s approach, of late. He has been visiting New Delhi almost every month from September and making an effort to be cordial with Centre, the latest being his meeting with Union Water Resource Minister Uma Bharthi during his visit to New Delhi in first week of December. Hailing TRS government’s flagship Mission Kakatiya as a unique initiative, she agreed to grace the inauguration programme.

For his part, Rao is also leaving no stone unturned to fall into the good books of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fully supporting Modi’s initiative to revamp Planning Commission, he gave valuable inputs in this regard. On the other hand, even the State BJP unit seems to have toned down its attitude towards TRS government. All the state leaders of the saffron party had launched a scathing attack on the pink party on daily basis highlighting its failures on administration front. This was at its peak in the run-up to Medak elections.

All these point out to a major shift in political equations in Telangana. It is too early to comment, but it looks like both BJP and TRS are trying to forge a bond between them. It may be recalled that, a section in the state BJP unit strongly opposed any sort of truck with the TDP in 2014 General Elections and even suggested that forging an alliance with TRS was a better option.