Jai Bharat KCR’s new slogan as Front runner

Hyderabad: A day after announcing his intention to launch a Front of like-minded parties to usher in qualitative change in Indian politics, TRS president and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao has taken to new sloganeering.

KCR, who has been raising the slogan of ‘Jai Telangana’ for the past 17 years, has now come up with ‘Jai Bharat’ for the first time in a bid to enter the national politics.

He is also now speaking more in Hindi. A master strategist, KCR who held a meeting of party workers from nearby districts at his camp office on Sunday, said: “Mere deshwasiyon ko pranam karke bolta hun, janiye samajhye dono partyon ko.”

Referring to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, he said: “Pradhan Mantri ko gaon mein kya kaam hai?” He said subjects like health, urban development, education, etc should be left to the states and the Centre should take care of bigger issues like Defence, External Affairs, etc.

All should progress irrespective of caste or religion. He said he was taking a lead not because he was in very good health. “I have enough work here. TS is a new state. It is still grappling with several problems,” he said.

“When countries like China and Singapore could progress why not India during all these years? India could not make progress because of the present and previous governments. I am taking lead to set this right,” KCR said.

The TRS chief said Singapore does not even water of its own. It buys water from Malaysia and after meeting its needs it recycles the water and sells back to Malaysia. Unless the Constitution is amended, and devolution of powers is redefined, things will not change in India. The existing parties will never do that, he said.

KCR said he was happy that his idea was getting positive response from many political organisations across the country. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has openly supported the idea of KCR to form a new Front to defeat the Congress and the BJP.

He said West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC president Mamata Banerjee also spoke to the TRS supremo on phone and extended her support. Even leaders of several regional parties, including NCP from Maharashtra, called him up and expressed their readiness to join hands in the formation of an alternative in the country before the 2019 general election.

Sources said that DMK leader Stalin also called up KCR and informed him about his plans to meet the latter soon in Hyderabad. PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) leaders S Ramdoss and GK Mani from Tamil Nadu, who are KCR’s good friends and all those parties which extended support to the separate Telangana movement, including BSP and RJD, have also expressed willingness to join the proposed Front. However, the TDP and YSR Congress from the neighbouring AP have not yet responded to the proposal of KCR.

It is said that KCR has advised a group of TRS MPs to meet MPs of all the regional parties during the Budget Session of Parliament which would resume on Monday and elicit their opinion. KCR is also likely to go to Delhi after the Budget Session of the Telangana Assembly in April this year to take the issue forward.