‘Idiotic, Shameful’: BJP Slams Telangana State Chief After He Skips PM Modi’s Welcome

K. Chandrashekar Rao (popularly known as KCR), state chief of India’s Telangana state, faced a huge backlash from the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he missed the customary airport welcome offered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state capital Hyderabad.

The prime minister has arrived in Hyderabad to dedicate to the nation the “Statue of Equality” speech, commemorating the 11th century saint Sri Ramanujacharya.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Federal Minister for Tourism G. Kishan Reddy and Telangana state minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, whom KCR sent instead of attending the event himself, were among the VIPs who received Modi at the airport.

Quoting sources at Pragati Bhavan, the state chief’s official residence, news agency PTI reported that KCR was not well at the time of the airport welcome; however, he will attend the evening programme.

After KCR skipped the airport welcome, the BJP launched a ballistic attack against him as the state unit of the BJP blasted the alleged violation of protocol “idiotic and shameful”.

The party also alleged that KCR has been “regularly insulting the Constitution”.

Apart from the state unit of the BJP, several other politicians and members of the party condemned the absence of the state chief.

The BJP had also organised a state-wide protest against KCR on Thursday after he had favoured drafting a new Constitution of India, claiming that successive federal governments have taken away the power of states and others.

A few days before the Prime Minister's arrival, the state chief had attacked Modi as someone who "dresses for elections", and condemned the Budget as "style without substance".