BRS lands Opposition ‘unity’ sign; Congress livid over raid

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The BRS’s late entry came on a day the Congress lashed out at it over the Hyderabad raid.

Hours later, the Congress slammed the Telangana CM and accused his government of throttling democracy in the state. “What is the difference between Narendra Modi and KCR,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera asked at a press conference he addressed with Lok Sabha MP and Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy, who called KCR and Modi two sides of the same coin.

Khera said the BRS government is taking action against the Congress only because the party is raising issues of the common people of Telangana. “Without any paper or warrant, they raided the war room of our party. Sunil Kanugolu, who is a member of the national task force of AICC…his office is raided…. They take away 50 computers, take away all data, they detain our leaders…. Telangana police behaved like goondas,” he said.

The Opposition unity, meanwhile, grew bigger with the Samajwadi Party, which skipped a similar meeting last week, in attendance. In all, 17 parties attended the meeting, where they decided to press for allowing a discussion on Chinese incursions in Tawang and stage a walkout if their demand was not met.

The meeting also decided to raise in Parliament the issue of a purported attack on India’s federal structure by the Centre. Parties such as TMC are keen to raise the issue.

The TMC did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, but sources said its leaders had conveyed to Opposition leaders that they will be on board with the decision taken at the meeting. Sources in TMC said the party’s Lok Sabha leader, Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, could not attend the meeting since he was indisposed.

Leaders of 17 parties — the Congress, RJD, DMK, CPI, CPI(M), AAP, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), Kerala Congress, National Conference, AIUDF, RLD, MDMK, VCK and KCM — decided to issue a joint statement on repeated Chinese transgressions, but many leaders felt the Opposition should be cautious, as its stance should not be interpreted as trying to lower the morale of the forces.

Looking inclusive, eyeing national politics

Having ignored Congress’s call for a joint floor strategy, as also other meetings involving the Congress, a party KCR has refused to share stage with, a seeming rethink by arriving, although late, for Wednesday’s Parliament strategy meeting may be KCR’s way of sending a message of his national ambition. It came on a day the Delhi office of his rebranded party — Bharat Rashtra Samithi — was inaugurated, marking KCR’s foray into national politics, a role he will find hard to play, at least at present, without support from other opposition parties.”