KCR changes tack, invites Nitish Kumar for inauguration of Telangana new Secretariat

Only ten days ago, eyebrows were raised when Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) did not invite his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar for the January 18 BRS Khammam rally in which Delhi CM Kejriwal took part. Now, KCR seemed to have decided to patch up going by his invitation to Nitish for the inauguration of Telangana new Secretariat on February 17.

Patna:Once again, Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) changed his game plan and invited his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar for the inauguration of Telangana new Secretariat on February 17. Only ten days ago, KCR hit national headlines for omitting Nitish from the Bharata Rashtra Samiti (BRS) Khammam public meeting for which Delhi CM and AAP leader Kejriwal was invited among others.

KCR has also sent an invitation to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. The Chief Minister of Telangana will also hold a general meeting after the programme, sources said. Speculation is rife that once again preparations are in full swing for the formation of an effective third front to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level.

Following latest invitation to Bihar CM, doubts arose whether KCR is trying to gauge the mood among non-BJP parties and the emerging strength of opposition unity. As per sources, Nitish Kumar has decided to consider KCR's invitation but may not himself attend the inauguration. Nitish will send his JD(U) National President Lalan Singh to attend KCR's programme on his behalf.

Telangana CMO has also given information about this by tweeting. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will participate in the Telangana programme. Telangana CM KCR recently invited non-Congress, non-BJP parties to his recent Khammam BRS rally. For this, KCR did not invite Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav. The Bihar CM, when asked about this, had expressed ignorance about the program and also said that it is his (KCR's) party's programme.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Samadhan Yatra in Bihar will go on till February 15. Whereas the KCR Telangana program is on 17 February. Despite that, Nitish Kumar has decided to send Lalan Singh to this program. KCR came to Bihar last year and met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav when they clearly told the Telangana CM that without Congress, no front will be effective against BJP, sources said. However, KCR is still talking about a non-Congress and non-BJP Third Front, a stance that is not agreeable to the JD(U).

KCR's Khammam meeting raked up a huge controversy. When Nitish Kumar was asked in Patna why he did not attend the rally of Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) in Telangana as part of the campaign to unite the opposition, the Bihar CM that he had no information about that. Nitish simply said at that time that he was busy with other work and that he (KCR) must have held a meeting of his party and must have called someone who must have gone.

Leaving all that behind, CM Nitish has shown his interest on KCR's invitation this time, party leaders say. That's why it has been decided to send Lalan Singh to the KCR's Telangana Secretariat inauguration.