Sanjay Raut calls Bharat Rashtra Samithi a B-team of BJP

Sanjay Raut, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), drew a sharp reaction to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's visit to the Maharashtra pilgrimage town of Pandharpur on Tuesday, labelling the former's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) a BJP B-team.

Addressing a rally in Sarkoli village, some 20 km from Pandharpur, Rao countered the charge asserting that they are a team of farmers, marginalised communities, minorities and Dalits and wondered why there is a hue and cry over his party’s efforts to expand its base in the neighbouring state.

Rao, also popular as KCR, and his cabinet colleagues arrived in Pandharpur on Monday in a motorcade with 600 vehicles. He offered prayers at the Vitthal Rukmini temple in the town on Tuesday, ahead of Ashadhi Ekadashi on June 29.

Talking to reporters here, Raut said BRS has no other intention in Maharashtra other than trying to hurt the prospects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, and divide votes.

He has never visited Pandharpur in the last eight-nine years as the chief minister or when he was a minister in Andhra Pradesh and a minister at the Centre, Raut said.

To whom KCR is trying to show the strength, Raut asked. KCR is a personal friend, but he has to decide against whom we are fighting, Raut said, adding that there will be no impact of BRS on Maharashtra politics and the move will only hurt KCR in Telangana.

About his Pandharpur visit, Rao said when they planned to offer prayers at the temple, they were advised to avoid doing politics. I refrained from discussing politics in Pandharpur. However, here I will talk about it. I fail to understand why there is such a hue and cry among the parties in Maharashtra about us. Why do they fear us, as no party is leaving any opportunity to criticise us, he asked.

Congress calls us the B-team of BJP, while BJP calls us the A-team of Congress. We are not anyone’s team. We are a team of farmers, marginalised communities, minorities, and Dalits, he asserted. He also emphasised that BRS is not just a regional party tied to Telangana, but is a national party with a mission to bring about a change in India.

Rao said that every major party in Maharashtra has had the opportunity to govern the state. The Congress ruled (Maharashtra) for 50 years. You gave chances to NCP, BJP, and Shiv Sena. If they genuinely wanted to work for the state’s welfare, at least one of them could have done so, he said.