Days after going 'national' KCR's party puts up distorted map of India, draws BJP's ire

Days after Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) was renamed to Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS), the newly-announced national party stirred up controversy after its leaders, including Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and others, put up banners and posters showing an incomplete map of India at a few places in the Hyderabad city. Notably, the banners had pictures of regional party leaders, along with the BRS supremo KCR photo on the Indian map.  

Following the placement of the banners and posters, BRS came under fire from the BJP with its leaders alleging that KCR's party had violated the Indian Constitution and demanding action against the ruling party of Telangana. The map with the annexation of part of Jammu and Kashmir, used by Pakistan, was put up on the banners.

Stepping up its criticism, the BJP accused the newly-christened BRS party of redrawing the map of India and showing Kashmir as a part of Pakistan. "Is KCR following the legacy of the Nizam of Hyderabad who wanted to merge with Pakistan?!" the saffron party leaders questioned. 

TRS to BRS: KCR's gamble 

Telangana Chief Minister KCR, last week, changed the name of TRS to BRS announcing the party's foray into national politics ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, scheduled for 2024. The name change resolution was passed by the party general body after a meeting in Hyderabad as party workers cheered and banners with slogans like "Desh ka neta KCR," "Dear India, he is coming", and "KCR is on the way". 

While some are believing that KCR's move to enter the turf of national politics could help him increase his political stature, others fear that this strategy could turn into a misadventure for him.

Meanwhile, the BJP accused KCR of betraying the people of Telangana and said that the BRS chief leveraged the emotion of creating Telangana as a separate state and used it as a bridge for his family to capture the top power structure of the state.

Notably, it was in 2001 that KCR formed TRS to revive the movement for separate statehood to Telangana. After accomplishing the aim in 2014, KCR formed the first government in the new state and retained its power in 2018.