New chapter in Indian politics: CM KCR goes national

The Chief Minister read out the resolution which was unanimously approved by the party General Body meeting unanimously amidst cheers and applause.

Hyderabad: Heralding his foray into national politics, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday announced the transformation of the TRS into a new national party, which will be known as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

The announcement, which will have a far-reaching impact on national politics, was made at 1.19 pm during the party’s crucial General Body meeting held at Telangana Bhavan here. The birth of the new national political entity, coming 21 years after the TRS was launched in April 2001 to achieve the separate State of Telangana, was declared with the party supremo reading out a resolution that was unanimously approved by the party General Body meeting amidst cheers and applause.

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He also explained the objectives of the new political party, his future plans, and the role he intends to play in national politics, setting the tone for the party’s campaign for the general elections in 2024. Soon after the announcement, the party executive committee members along with elected representatives and other leaders, raised slogans of ‘Desh Ke Netha KCR’, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Indian politics. Necessary amendments were also made to the party Constitution during the meeting.

A party delegation comprising former MP and Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar and former MLC and TRS general secretary M Srinivas Reddy left for New Delhi later in the day to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday. They will submit an application seeking a change in the party’s name along with necessary documents. If the ECI approves the application of TRS, the party will have its new name for the next elections.

The TRS General Body meeting was attended by 283 party leaders including State executive members, Ministers, MPs, legislators, and district unit presidents among others. There were other special invitees too, mostly political and farmers’ union leaders from eight States.

These included Janata Dal (S) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday night along with 20 of his party MLAs. Two MPs of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi from Tamil Nadu, including Katchi founder and Chidambaram MP Tholkappiyan Thirumavalavan, also attended the meeting at Telangana Bhavan.

The announcement of the BRS, expected to emerge as a strong voice against the Bharatiya Janata Party on the national level, was on the cards for more than a year, with Chandrashekhar Rao holding consultations with various like-minded forces including leaders of various Opposition parties, farmers, intellectuals and experts across the country.

On October 2, party leaders during a marathon meeting on the current political scenario at Pragathi Bhavan, pointed at the nationwide demand for a strong political alternative at the Centre and the political vacuum that existed and urged Chandrashekhar Rao to expand the party’s activities across the country, with Wednesday’s general body meeting now taking the idea forward.