Heat reason for low-key BRS first foundation day fete: KTR

HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi's (BRS) first foundation day, scheduled for April 27, will be held at Telangana Bhavan and will be a low-key event with 300 general body members, contrary to the party's usual practice of holding its plenary outside the party headquarters with over 3,000 delegates, followed by a large public meeting.

Each year, the BRS (formerly TRS) has held its plenary to commemorate the party’s foundation day in a grand style at function halls or the LB Stadium or the HICC, but party working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday stated that the party leadership had decided to keep the event low-key because of the severe heat conditions. Further, the party will kickstart the Assembly poll campaign with a mega rally in Warangal on October 10.

There have been instances of the party organising its plenaries and public meetings in districts like Warangal, Khammam, among others. Since this will be the first public function held by the party since changing its name from the TRS to the BRS in October of last year in order to enter the national political firmament, party leaders and workers expected the leadership to hold the plenary and public function in a grand manner.

The fact that this year's plenary will be the party's last one before the crucial Assembly elections in December gives it added significance.

According to sources, the CM had proposed to invite national leaders in addition to the CMs of regional-party ruled states, as well as heads of regional parties opposing the BJP, to give the event a "national look”. However, the CM dropped his original plans.

According to BRS circles, the CM is waiting for the Karnataka Assembly election results to determine whether he will form alliances or fronts with regional parties against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Until the Karnataka results are released on May 13, he will not be able to make any national political moves. In view of this, insiders claim that the CM intends to make the party's plenary a low-key event.
Meanwhile, Rama Rao on Sunday directed party leaders to hold the Assembly constituency-wise party delegates meeting on April 25 as a prelude to plenary on April 27.

Insiders said Rama Rao expressed satisfaction with the BRS Atmeeya Sammelans being held in all constituencies, noting that the sammelans had been successful in uniting party leaders and workers and preparing the party for the upcoming Assembly elections. He asked the party leaders to continue the sammelans until the end of May.

He stated that Chandrashekar Rao had appointed Marri Rajashekar Reddy, Nand Kishore Vyas Bilal and party MP Maloth Kavitha as incharges for the Secunderabad Cantonment, Goshamahal and Bhadrachalam Assembly constituencies for conducting Atmeeya Sammelans and party foundation day programmes because these constituencies are not represented by the party MLAs.