Telangana CM Once Invited PM Onto His Turf; Now KCR Wants To Invade Modi

The venue was KCR's Assembly constituency Gajwel. PM Modi chose to go on his first visit to India's youngest state to inaugurate Mission Bhagiratha - KCR's flagship project to supply piped drinking water to every Telangana household.

Modi reciprocated likewise in the public rally, extolling KCR's "passion for the new state's development, especially in water-related matters."

Cut to the present, KCR is charging that corruption has become widespread under Modi's rule, while unemployment and industrial growth have shrunk.

"We have a list of BJP's corruption. We will go to the Supreme Court and people's court to unmask the BJP" KCR said at a press conference on Sunday, presenting the Rafale jets procurement figures.

KCR pulled out a list of 33 economic fugitives—Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, et al, who have fled abroad, commenting that most of them are "Gujaratis, Modi's friends."

Interestingly, the Rafale deal was reached between India and France in September 2016, around the time KCR was lavishing praise on Modi. In those years of friendship, KCR backed the demonetisation move and extended crucial legislative support to the Modi government in the Rajya Sabha on several bills.

But, of late, KCR has been at loggerheads with the Centre, enraged over issues like the Modi government's alleged refusal to procure Telangana paddy, allocation of funds and projects for the state. Besides, the BJP has been accusing his "family-run party rule of gigantic corruption" and of turning the Kaleshwaram project, touted as the world's largest multi-stage lif irrigation project, on the Godavari river, into its "ATM."

KCR was mortified when the BJP took his one-time lieutenant, former health minister Eetala Rajender, into its fold and gained the Huzurabad Assembly constituency, another TRS bastion, in November.

Also, when PM Modi came to unveil the 'Statue of Equality - a giant figure of Saint Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad recently, TRS ministers, leaders, activists took to Twitter seeking #EqualityForTelangana.

The hashtag trended at the top spot for some time on the day the CM famously skipped the Prime Minister's event. The TRS also alleged that KCR's name was removed from the statue's inauguration plaque to criticize their leader.

Given the confrontation, will KCR invite Modi for the inauguration of the renovated Yadadri Temple in March? In September, the CM went to New Delhi and invited the PM, then planned for November last.

"We'll see," KCR muttered when asked about this.