KCR launches BRS to begin a new era in national politics

HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) unveiled itself on the national political centre-stage on Friday with its formal launch at the hands of its idealogue and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) here. The BRS, the new, re-christened national form of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), formally comes into existence to serve as the political vehicle for KCR's national aspirations to bring about a qualitative change in the country.

At a grand formation event organised at the Telangana Bhavan and accompanied by national leaders like H D Kumaraswamy, film actor and social activist Prakash Raj besides a battery of party leaders including its Working President K T Rama Rao and Harish Rao, KCR signed in acknowledgement on the consent letter issued by the Election Commission of India for the change of name for the TRS. KCR did this at the stroke of 1:20 pm, the pre-determined muhurtham for the historic moment. The process for the change of TRS' name as BRS attained a finality on Thursday when the ECI gave its formal consent for the same through a letter.

Basking in the moment of pride and accomplishment, KCR later unfurled the BRS party flag at the Telangana Bhavan even as an emotional group of party leaders raised slogans, eulogising KCR and the BRS. He was immediately flooded with congratulatory handshakes from everyone present there.

New era, new flag

The launch of the BRS signalled the beginning of a new era for a party that till this afternoon strived hard over the last 22 years for the cause of Telangana. And eight years after realising the dream of a separate Telangana state, the party has now metamorphosed into a national political outfit in the name of BRS. The party and its chief KCR intend to forge ahead with their objective of providing a potent political alternative at the national level besides expanding the footprints of Telangana's successful model of governance and development to all parts of the country.

Soon after signing on the ECI's consent letter in acknowledgement, KCR also hoisted the BRS flag which had striking resemblances to that of its erstwhile sibling, TRS. As widely anticipated, the flag assumed the pink colour all over it. It featured the India map in the centre with the name Bharat Rashtra Samiti printed on it. The TRS flag featured the Telangana map and its poll symbol car on it.

The car symbol has been kept out of the BRS flag, at least for now, as the ECI needs to formally allocate or transfer the poll symbol to the BRS in due course of time. It is expected that it would only be a matter of time before the BRS secured the same symbol from the ECI. With no elections round the corner, KCR, it is reported, is of the view that the basic structure of the BRS flag needed to be taken into the public first all across the country besides propagating the success story of the Telangana model of development and governance.

Before formally launching the BRS, KCR arrived at the Telangana Bhavan and paid obeisance to the Telangana Thalli by garlanding the statue on the premises. He also took part in a puja, performed for the successful future endeavours under the new banner of BRS.

Celebrations erupted all over Telangana to mark and rejoice the momentous occasion. Sweets were distributed and fire-crackers burst by groups of BRS activists at every nook and corner.