KCR ignores protocol, assigns minister to receive PM Modi in Hyderabad

A note from the chief minister’s office deputed Talasani Srinivas Yadav, the state minister for animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy development and cinematography, as minister-in-waiting to receive and send off the prime minister.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has once again moved away from protocol and decided against receiving and seeing off Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be arriving in Hyderabad for a two-day visit on Saturday.

A note from the chief minister’s office deputed Talasani Srinivas Yadav, the state minister for animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy development and cinematography, as minister-in-waiting to receive and send off the prime minister.

The Prime Minister's aircraft will be landing at the Begumpet airport at 2:55 pm today.

This is not the first time that Yadav has been assigned this role by KCR. In February this year, Prime Minister Modi visited Hyderabad to unveil the 'Statue of Equality' -- the 216-ft statue of 11th century Vaishnavaite saint Sri Ramanujacharya -- at Sriramanagaram. KCR had then said that he was unwell with some Covid symptoms. 

On May 26, Prime Minister Modi was in Hyderabad for the celebrations of 20 years of the Indian School of Business. At that point in time, Chief Minister KCR was carrying out whirlwind tours with his 'unified opposition' agenda and left for Bengaluru on the same day to meet Deve Gowda. 

This time around, the Prime Minister is visiting to attend the two-day meeting of the BJP's national executive that will also be attended by the BJP top brass, Union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states. The Prime Minister will be residing at the Novotel Hotel.

Poster war in Hyderabad

Meanwhile, a poster war is underway in Hyderabad's city centre between the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the BJP. Ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, the BJP put up massive cutouts featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda and stare BJP president Bandi Sanjay. 

The TRS, on the other hand, put up banners of Chief Minister KCR and Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. Sinha, the opposition presidential candidate, will be in Hyderabad on Saturday. A grand welcome has been planned for Sinha.