‘All style, no substance’: KCR on Modi ahead of meeting
Narendra Modi “dresses for elections” and his Budget exemplifies “style without substance”. That is the opinion of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who will soon hold a face-to-face meeting with the prime minister.
The CM on Wednesday also characterised the Union Budget as “terrible and golmaal” – criticism he said he is willing to share with Modi in person.
“Upar shervani, andar pareshani (all style, no substance),” KCR said, deriding the “Gujarat Model”.
KCR’s criticism comes eve though his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), has mostly backed the Centre on key legislation in Parliament.
“With social media management, lying blatantly, repeating a lie again and again, they managed to fool the people so far. But now they have been exposed. They play communal politics of hate and division,” he said.
On Saturday, KCR will share a helicopter ride with Modi when they travel to the outskirts of Hyderabad for the launch of a statue of Saint Ramanujacharya, built at a cost of ₹1,000 crore and said to be the world’s second tallest statue.
Asked about the potentially “awkward” meeting, KCR told NDTV: “It is automatic. Sharing [a dais or a ride] is not the question at all. Whenever the PM comes to any state, the chief minister goes and welcomes him. It is a routine thing, a protocol requirement… Attacking him in politics is my policy. Even while sitting along with Mr Modi in his helicopter I will tell him the same thing.”
The Telangana leader will meet his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray soon as part of his Project 2024 to bring various opposition forces together as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.
He has already spoken to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan, along with Left leaders.
“There’s a need for qualitative change in the nation,” KCR said after meeting Thackeray.
“Now is the time to throw the BJP into the Bay of Begal. I appeal to people, change is needed. I am talking to people. Indians have to awaken. These people who create communal disturbances, this needs to change.”
