KCR meets Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, calls for “a big change” in present functioning of the country 

Telangana CM says a meeting of like-minded anti-BJP opposition leaders on the cards soon

Intensifying efforts to cobble up a broad coalition of opposition parties to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary election, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Sunday, called for “a big change” in the way the country was currently being run by the BJP-led Centre.

Mr. Rao, who is president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) – the dominant party in the southern Indian state of Telangana - met with Mr. Thackeray at the latter’s official residence ‘Varsha’ over lunch today during his day-long visit.

“I am very happy meeting with Uddhav Thackeray... We spoke at length on a number of issues an agreed on almost all points…we spoke on the need to intensify the country’s progress, to bring changes, to increase development and to bring about structural changes in policies… There needs to be a big change in the way the country is being run today. We will be talking with other regional parties as well in the coming days. We want to fight against injustice, we are fighting for democracy. Today is a new beginning,” said Mr. Rao, speaking to reporters after a two-hour meeting with Mr. Thackeray in which the Sena’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut was also present.

“We are like brothers,” said the Telangana Chief Minister of his Maharashtra counterpart, adding that the country today needed the inspiration of Marathi warriors like Chhatrapati Shivaji and (late Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray.

Speaking on the need for continued cooperation in the future between Telangana and Maharashtra, Mr. Rao said: “Our states share a 1,000 km-long border. With the cooperation of the Maharashtra government, we could complete the excellent Kaleshwaram [lift irrigation] project which opened Telangana’s fortunes… We want to maintain this friendship with Maharashtra in the future as there are number of things that the two states have to cooperate on.”

The Telangana CM condemned the way in which the BJP government at the Centre was misusing agencies.

“The manner in which the Centre is abusing central agencies is highly condemnable… It must change its behaviour,” warned Mr. Rao.