“Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar” (this time, it will be a farmers’ government), said Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday while formally renaming his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) into Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
KCR, as the chief minister is popularly called, announced his mission to play a larger role in the national politics during a meeting at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad.
The CM said that transformation of TRS — formed 21 years ago with an objective of achieving separate statehood for Telangana — into BRS was a historic necessity.
The CM said that he will make all efforts to bring about a qualitative change in the national politics. “Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar will be the main agenda of the BRS in national politics”, he said, adding, that “the party will focus on uplifting the farming community of the country”, besides the welfare of the downtrodden and working class.
The BRS president announced that the new party will contest the ensuing assembly elections in neighbouring Karnataka in alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). “We will extend full support to the JD (S) and strive to make its leader H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister. We will share the schemes being implemented in Telangana with the people during the Karnataka elections and win their confidence,” he said.
KCR said the national head office of the BRS will be inaugurated in Delhi on December 14 and from there, the party will commence its national political action plan. “In the next couple of months, we will intensify our party’s national activities,” he said.
The BRS president called for revamping several policies in the country by introducing new agriculture policy, new water policy, new power policy, economic policy,environmental policy, weaker sections’ upliftment policy and women empowerment policy – for the optimum utilisation of natural and human resources.“We are also holding discussions with former judges, prominent economists, sociologists and other intellectuals regarding formation of such policies,” he said.
“If the people of India give us a chance, the BRS can provide round-the-clock power supply even to the remotest villages of the country and financial assistance to 25 lakh Dalit families per year under the Dalit Bandhu scheme,” he said.
Stating that the BRS will hoist the pink flag in New Delhi in the next elections, KCR said that “the BRS was going to play a vital role in national politics,” and added that “the Telangana model will be replicated across the country through optimum utilisation of available natural resources”.
Brushing aside criticism from the Opposition parties over the BRS foraying into national politics, he advised party leaders to ignore them.“The party had surpassed similar criticism and went on to achieve Telangana apart from developing the young state into a role model for others,” he said.
Earlier, KCR performed special prayers to Goddess Gowri at Telangana Bhavan and unfurled the new pink flag of the BRS with an Indian map replacing the Telangana map present in the TRS flag earlier. He signed the official documents pertaining to the change of name from TRS to BRS.
Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, popular actor-political activist Prakash Raj and others were also present at the meeting.
Telangana BJP spokesperson N V Subhash said the formation of BRS was nothing but an attempt by KCR to transfer power to his son K T Rama Rao in the state.
“Moreover, mere change of name from TRS to BRS does not make it a national party. The party has to go a long way to meet guidelines of the election commission to get national party recognition,” he said.
Subhash further said the BRS would be a home of rehabilitation for some politicians who were abandoned or sidelined by their respective parties in various states.
