VISAKHAPATNAM: In a bid to strike a chord with the people of Andhra Pradesh, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi, is planning to hold its first meeting in Visakhapatnam. Speaking on the sidelines of the party’s meeting in Telangana’s Khammam, BRS AP President Thota Chandrasekhar on Wednesday said the date of the meeting would be announced shortly. Led by BRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the meeting in Khammam has set the tone for the party to make a grand entry into national politics.
The party’s choice to conduct its first meeting in Visakhapatnam has assumed significance as it has opposed the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) in the past and has even supported Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Samithi, which has been spearheading the agitation against disinvestment of the PSU for the last 706 days.
It may be recalled that Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao had even promised to visit the Steel City to extend solidarity with the agitating workers when a delegation of the Porata committee met him in Hyderabad last year. During a press conference held some time ago to announce the party’s plan to foray into national politics, KCR had opposed the Central government’s decision to privatise VSP without mincing any words.
The Telengana CM even went one step ahead and announced that if his party comes to power at the Centre, he would reinstate it under the public sector. The Porata committee had welcomed the BRS’ support.
Telangana Employees’ Welfare Association at Visakhapatnam hailed the BRS for supporting its agitation. Welcoming the party to the national platform, association general secretary G Anand opined, “The BRS can now fight for the steel plant at the national level.”
“With over one lakh employees, direct and indirect, the Vizag Steel Plant is a jewel of the country. People of the city are also ready to welcome the BRS,” Anand remarked.
Meanwhile, the BJP and other parties criticised KCR for his plans to contest polls in Andhra Pradesh. Lashing out at the Telangana Chief Minister, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao said KCR should first apologise to the people of AP before entering the State. “AP has suffered because of the bifurcation and the subsequent issues that are yet to be resolved,” he said. KCR’s new strategy will most likely boomerang and his party will lose in Telangana, the BJP MP remarked.