'Global party', 'Wannabe PM': Congress and TRS trade charges

The Congress and the TRS are engaged in a slugging match in Telangana, where Rahul Gandhi is currently leading his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

It started with the Congress leader commenting on K. Chandrashekar Rao recently changing the name of his party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) - signifying he is positioning it as a national party.

"If the chief minister of Telangana believes that he is running a national party, that is perfectly okay. There is no problem, he can believe it. That is also fine if he believes he is running a global party," Rahul Gandhi said at a news conference.


This irked the TRS and the party working president and state minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Tuesday hit back savagely on Twitter.

KTR mockingly called Rahul Gandhi an "international leader" and "wannabe PM" and reminded the Congress leader that he had lost his own parliamentary seat in the last elections.

"International leader Rahul Gandhi who can't even win his own parliament seat in Amethi ridicules Telangana CM KCR's national party ambition. Wannabe PM should first convince his people to elect him as an MP,"
KTR's tweet said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh then took over, saying there was nothing wrong in Gandhi's comments on KCR's national ambitions.

He said in a press conference that KCR's party can become "GRS" (Global Rashtra Samithi) also and Congress has nothing to do with it.

Ramesh further said KCR can do whatever he wants to do as India is a democratic country.

"Congress party is not a Nizam Shahi Party. We know that here in Hyderabad eighth Nizam sits," he said in an apparent reference to KCR.

Rahul Gandhi is currently leading his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Telangana. The yatra, which was launched on September 7, will cover as many as 12 states.

The yatra will cover 3500 km before ending next year, making it the longest march on foot by any politician in the country.