Was this KCR’s “return gift” to Modi?

Why did KCR skip the Modi tour in Hyderabad? While most accounts say that KCR was upset with the budgetary allocations to Telangana, highly placed internal sources say otherwise. They also discount the theory of KCR’s plans for a national role as the reason for skipping Modi’s visit.

According to these sources, the roots of Modi-KCR discord lie in the GHMC elections. During the GHMC elections, Modi made an air dash from Pune to Hyderabad to monitor the progress of the Covid vaccine research. After visiting Pune in November 2020, where he took stock of the Covishield trials, he came to Hyderabad to monitor the progress of Covaxin vaccine in Bharat Biotech.

Though the visit officially did not have any link to the GHMC elections, Modi’s sudden visit to Hyderabad in the thick of the elections was seen as something that could influence the voters. So, KCR planned to receive Modi at the airport and accompany him during his visit to Bharat Biotech. But the PMO flatly turned down the Telangana CMO’s request. Citing Covid situation, the PMO asked KCR not to come to the airport and not to accompany the PM.

KCR, according to insiders, did not forget the slight and has decided to pay back in the same coin. He used Modi’s Muchintal visit to give the “return gift.” According to the official itinerary, KCR was to speak for eight minutes at ICRISAT and seven minutes at Muchintal. But, he chose to stay away from the Prime Minister’s tour this time. Interestingly, this is Modi’s first visit to the city after the visit to Bharat Biotech.