BRS gears up for historic silver jubilee public meeting at Elkathurthy

The party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, who has largely remained away from public appearances, will be addressing his first public meeting since stepping down from the office of the Chief Minsiter and taking reins as the Opposition leader

Hyderabad: The nondescript village of Elkathurthy near Warangal, is fully geared up to host the historic public meeting of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), marking the latter’s 25 years of formation on Sunday. With meticulous planning and grand scale arrangements, the silver jubilee meeting is being touted as a landmark event in the party’s history and also a crucial moment in Telangana’s current politics.

The party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, who has largely remained away from public appearances, will be addressing his first public meeting since stepping down from the office of the Chief Minsiter and taking reins as the Opposition leader. His address is expected to be pivotal, both to rejuvenate the cadre and to lay down the party’s roadmap for the future.

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Warangal is draped in pink, and party leaders have likened the meeting to a modern-day political Jatara. Party cadres have been mobilising for days, marching with bullock carts and padayatras from districts like Siddipet, Khammam, Suryapet, and Karimnagar. All the roads leading to Elkathurthy, are already awash in pink, with giant cutouts, welcome arches, and flags.

Arrangements for the silver jubilee celebrations have been made on an unprecedented scale. Nearly 1,250 acres have been readied, including over 1,000 acres earmarked for parking across five designated zones.

The BRS leadership left no stone unturned to ensure that the public faces no inconvenience, considering the massive participation expected. Around 3,000 buses through TSRTC and another 20,000 private vehicles have been arranged to ferry lakhs of supporters.

With 10 lakh people anticipated, massive arrangements have been made including around 2,000 volunteers for crowd and traffic management, 200 mobile patrol vehicles, 25 towing vehicles, 250 CCTVs linked to a dedicated Command and Control Centre, and 250 power generators. Massive LCD screens and lights have been arranged in both the meeting venue, parking and routes leading to the main stage.

Despite the mammoth arrangements, the real spotlight remains on Chandrashekhar Rao’s speech which is expected to offer organisational direction, and a fresh political pitch. Politically, the meeting holds immense significance, reminding Chandrashekhar Rao’s pivotal role in reinvigorating the Telangana statehood movement and an administrator who implemented landmark welfare schemes.

The public meeting is also intended to instill fresh energy among the cadre, many of whom have been demoralised post-defeat. The year-long celebrations planned by the party aim at sustaining momentum, particularly among the youth, by highlighting KCR’s leadership and the party’s vision for the future.

After facing a severe electoral setback, the BRS is attempting to reposition itself as a people’s movement rather than just a political outfit. The focus is now on initiating a series of activities through efforts to rebuild and reconnect with the grassroots.