BRS is BJP's 'B' team; it will not have any impact on Maharashtra politics: Congress

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole. Pic/Maharashtra Congress

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday slammed the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), calling it the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'B-team' and asserting that it will have no impact on Maharashtra politics. Patole made these remarks ahead of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's visit to Solapur.

"The people of the state know who benefits from the division of votes. In Telangana, the BRS party is facing a crisis and many of its leaders are joining the Congress party. The Telangana pattern is just as deceptive as the Gujarat pattern," Nana Patole said.

The Maharashtra Congress chief further said that the Congress has all the information about what KCR's party has done in Telangana and soon they will start exposing the bogus Telangana pattern.

On Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's attempt to make inroads into Maharashtra by raising the issue of low onion prices in the western state, Nana Patole said that BRS from Telangana is trying to enter Maharashtra politics but it will not be of any use.

"Warkari and the common man are hoping that a government will come in Maharashtra under the Congress leadership. K Chandrasekhar Rao has not done any work in Telangana in nine years. He has not done anything concrete for Dalits, tribals, minorities, backward classes. Even now, onion was said to be more expensive in Telangana, but it has come to light that the farmers of Maharashtra were cheated when they sold onions in Telangana. The KCR government is beating the drums of the work done by them by giving big advertisements in the papers. One who works does not feel the need to advertise," Patole said.

"Ashadhi Wari is happening in Pandharpur. It is understood that Telangana Chief Minister KCR is bringing a fleet of 600 cars from Hyderabad this year. Given that in Pandharpur, 1 million warkaris gather on Ashadhi Wari, is it right for KCR to bring more people from outside? Lord Vitthal is source of faith for all of us, it is not right for someone to taking political advantage of it," he added.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will visit Pandharpur and Tuljapur temple towns during his two-day visit to Maharashtra.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Rao would reportedly offer prayers at Lord Vitthal temple at Pandharpur town near Solapur and at Goddess Tulja Bhavani temple at Osmanabad and also attend an event where a popular leader from NCP would join the BRS.

After renaming the TRS as BRS in December last year, K Chandrashekar Rao, also known as KCR, has been making efforts to strengthen the party in neighbouring Maharashtra.

He has addressed public meetings at Nanded and other places in Maharashtra, highlighting his 'Telangana model' of development.