It was BJP that sent feelers: KTR hits back at Modi

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that he nipped in the bud the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's desire to be a part of the National Democratic Alliance, Bharata Rashtra Samiti working president K T Rama Rao has said in fact it was the other way around and the saffron party had sent feelers for an alliance in 2018.

In a message posted on 'X' on Wednesday, Rama Rao said the BRS has never allied with anyone during polls ever since Telangana was formed despite several requests and in fact it is the opposition that have come together setting aside their ideological differences to defeat the 'formidable' KCR.

'In 2018, Biggest Jhoota Party through its State President Dr K Laxman sent feelers to ally with BRS. Could the offer have been made without the approval of his Delhi bosses? Here is the then BJP state president making statement on record,' he said posting some old paper clippings suggesting that the then Bharatiya Janata Party Telangana chief Laxman saying his party was ready to support BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samiti) if the latter fell short of majority in the 2018 assembly polls.

Rama Rao further alleged that 'political tourists' with selective amnesia who are fabricating stories should know this and said the BRS had rejected the offer outright the very next minute it was made.

Modi had on October 3 at a public rally said he had rejected a request from Chandrasekhar Rao to join the NDA, after the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections in 2020, citing his 'deeds'.

The PM's remarks stirred the political climate in the state with the ruling BRS vehemently refuting Modi's comments.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday in a message posted on 'X' claimed the prime minister has 'openly accepted' what he had said at a rally last month that the BRS stands for 'BJP Rishtedaar Samiti', after Modi stated that he had rejected Rao's request to join the NDA.

Rama Rao in his post asked why the BRS should ally with a party, BJP, which didn't even get deposit in 105 assembly segments and added 'Why does BRS need support of BJP in GHMC elections when we had the strength to form on our own?'