Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was conspicuously absent during the reception of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport here on Saturday. This is the first time since 2014 that PM Modi was not received by KCR.
Modi landed here this afternoon to dedicate to the nation the 'Statue of Equality' commemorating the 11th century Bhakti saint Sri Ramanujacharya and also to kickstart the 50th anniversary celebrations of ICRISAT.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav were among the VIPs received Modi at the airport. Sources at Pragati Bhavan, Rao's official residence told.
The last time Modi had visited Hyderabad was on November 28, 2020 when he went to Bharat Biotech, the pharma company that developed India's first Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin. However, at that time the Chief Minister was informed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) that he need not come to the airport to receive the PM.
The Telangana Chief Secretary, the DGP and a couple of other officials had received the Prime Minister. The visit had come amid the elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which saw a bitter war of words between BJP and TRS leaders.
Modi is visiting Hyderabad to attend two programmes, both on the outskirts of the city. He will visit the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus in Patancheru to launch its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Later, he will dedicate to the nation the 'Statue of Equality' at a ceremony to be held at Ramanujacharya Ashram at Muchintal. The 216-feet tall statue commemorates the 11th century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
The Chief Minister is also not likely to share a dais with the Prime Minister at the ashram. Dropping hints to this effect, he visited the asharam on Thursday to participate in Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroh celebrations and went around the giant statue.
KCR's move to not receive the Prime Minister is significant in view of his scathing attack on the latter after presentation of Union Budget 2022-23 in Parliament on Monday.
Meanwhile, the BJP's state unit lashed out at KCR and said that the Telangana CM is "following Channi's footsteps".
As Expected! KCR violating Protocol stoops to a new low by sending his unimportant Minister.Following NCBN, Channi footsteps. You'll be paid back in return.#ShameOnYouKCR— BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) February 5, 2022
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief went ballistic while lashing out at the Centre for ignoring all the demands of the state and termed the budget "golmal" and "useless". At the same news conference when KCR was asked whether he would receive the Prime Minister, he remarked "it's automatic. It goes without saying".
"Whenever the Prime Minister is there in any state, the Chief Minister goes and welcomes. It's a routine thing. It's a protocol requirement. Nothing special about it," he had said.
KCR, however, was evasive when asked if he would be sharing the dais with the PM. The TRS leader had defended his attack on PM. "This is my policy. Even while sitting along with Mr Narendra Modi in his helicopter, I will say the same thing," he said.
At his two-and-half hour long news conference, KCR had made a bitter attack on Modi, mocking his 'Gujarat Model' and the different outfits he chose for elections in different states.
The TRS chief has also announced that he would play a role in national politics to bring a qualitative change in the country as both Congress and BJP have failed to meet the aspirations of people.
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(With agency inputs)
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