Why KCR's march towards Delhi should worry Mamata Banerjee, and PM Modi

The Telangana chief minister's direct attacks on PM Modi is a hint that he wants to establish himself as an alternative to PM Modi and no less, says Pratap Reddy Kasula

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Feb 22, 2022, 1:09 PM IST

K Chandrashekhar Rao, often referred to as KCR, seems to be emerging as a bigger challenge for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as is perceived by many. Mamata, who has been making efforts, most of the time unsuccessfully, to bring the Opposition together to counter the BJP, seems to be taking a backseat with KCR roaring against the NDA government at the Centre. The opposition leaders from different non-BJP states are lining up to host or meet KCR, who has successfully established himself as a secular, development-driven leader in his home state Telangana.

Also Read: Decoding KCR's offensive against PM Narendra Modi

In his meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray, he stressed his idea of India and his national ambitions -- 'Bangaru (Golden) Bharat', like 'Bangaru Telangana'. KCR, declaring that his journey in national politics has begun, said that the country should be transformed into 'Golden India' on the lines of 'Golden Telangana'.

The meetings with key Opposition leaders in the last few weeks are seen as Rao's efforts to forge an Opposition front of like-minded parties to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024 general elections. While KCR, as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief is popularly known as, called on the chiefs of Shiv Sena and NCP on Thackeray's invitation, he did not meet anyone from the Congress.

Also Read: KCR meets Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, hopes to forge anti-BJP front

The Telangana chief minister, who is looking to pass on the state leadership to his son KT Rama Rao, is at his aggressive best against PM Modi and his party, the BJP. His attacks come amid the ongoing assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh where retaining power is key to BJP's positioning at the national level.

KCR, who sided with the Centre on several issues in the past and was even perceived as Team B or the BJP by many, hit out at PM Modi over the hijab row, secularism and surprisingly supported Congress's Rahul Gandhi over the demand for proof of Surgical Strikes carried out by Army in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in September 2019 after 19 of the Indian Army soldiers were killed in a terror attack at a base camp in Kashmir's Uri.

KCR mocked PM Modi over 'dresses for elections' and slammed the budget, calling it 'terrible and golmaal (chaotic)'. He criticized Modi for growing a beard to look like Rabindranath Tagore during the West Bengal assembly elections. " ... if you go to Tamil Nadu, you have to wear a lungi, what is it?" He said, adding that such gimmicks were detrimental to the country.

Also Read: Telangana CM KCR demands surgical strikes 'saboot', slams BJP 'propaganda'

The Telangana chief minister's direct attacks on PM Modi are a hint that he wants to establish himself as an alternative to PM Modi and no less. The Telangana Assembly elections are due in less than 2 years and soon after the general elections and KCR seems to have started his footwork well before.

At a public meeting in Telangana recently, the chief minister made his intention clear that he was ready to breach "Fort Delhi". "Do you want me to fight for the nation? If I have your blessings, I am ready to breach the Delhi fort," KCR told the buzzing crowd.

Rao, who has been trying to form a non-BJP, non-Congress national alliance for the last three years, has been meeting leaders like DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee who was once seen as the face of the proposed third front seems to have lost track. The West Bengal chief minister, who is dealing with alleged infighting in her party Trinamool Congress, despite her several efforts, could not bring the opposition together.

KCR, who is fluent in both Hindi and English other than his mother tongue, is likely to emerge as a preferred choice for the opposition because, just like PM Modi, he too has a proven record of unchallenged leadership in his state and a successful development model to ride on.

Also Read: Telangana CM KCR's 'Dress for Elections' jibe at PM Modi triggers controversy

Last Updated Feb 22, 2022, 1:09 PM IST