Telangana CM calls Uddhav Thackeray his 'brother', both slam BJP

Following an invitation from Thackeray, Telangana CM arrived at 'Varsha', the official residence of Maharashtra CM. Thackeray, who is also president of the Shiv Sena, recently spoke to KCR over phone and invited him to Mumbai.

Mumbai: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday met his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray at 'Varsha', the official residence of Maharashtra CM. The visit followed an invitation from Thackeray, who recently spoke to KCR over phone and invited him to Mumbai. The meeting is part of an effort to bring together various like-minded parties against the BJP at the national level.

In a joint press conference after the meeting, CM KCR said that the two leaders had held an elaborate discussion and agreed upon "improving and expediting developmental issues and bringing structural and policy changes in the country." KCR called Thackeray his 'brother' and said that his government was looking forward to working with the Maharashtra government.

"Both (KCR & Uddhav) of us are brothers because our states share 1,000 Kms of the border. With the cooperation of the Maha government, we built the Kaleshwaram project which has benefited Telangana. We look forward to working together with Maharashtra," the Telangana CM said. CM KCR assured 'a good result' of the meeting held by the leaders and invited the Maharashtra CM to visit Telangana.

Taking an aim at the BJP-led Union government, the two leaders condemned the central government for its alleged misuse of the central agencies. Thackeray also targeted the BJP over its Hindutva politics, accusing them of using it to further their own agendas.

"Our Hindutva doesn't teach wrong politics;some people only work for their agendas, even if country goes to hell. We've to bring our country on the right path;who the PM will be can be discussed later. We'll meet many political leaders today onwards," CM Thackeray said.

Thackeray had earlier announced "complete support" to Rao's fight against the BJP's alleged anti-people policies and to uphold the federal spirit. The Telangana CM, who has been critical of the BJP and the Centre on a number of issues, had said he will hold meetings with his Maharashtra and West Bengal counterparts as part of efforts to unite various political parties against the BJP and the NDA government.

(With inputs from agency)