It seems Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will be avoiding a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second time in the last four months as he is set to fly out to Bengaluru on Thursday to call on former PM HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S).

PM Modi is visiting Hyderabad, Telangana’s capital, on Thursday to attend an event at the Indian School of Business. It is customary for chief ministers to receive the PM at the airport during his visit to the states.

However, it has been reported that KCR has deputed minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav to receive and see off PM Modi at the Hyderabad airport.

In February too, Yadav was deputed as minister-in-waiting when PM Modi had visited Hyderabad to unveil the Statue of Equality at Muchintal. Rao had then avoided the meeting citing health reasons.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief KCR will be travelling to Bengaluru today along with senior party colleagues and ministers to deliberate on national issues, upcoming presidential polls and an alternative front with Janata Dal (Secular) leaders.

KCR has been meeting opposition leaders to discuss the need to have an alternative agenda for the country to remove BJP from power at the Centre. Last week, he met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.

The Telangana CM is also slated to travel to Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal in the coming days.

Many opposition leaders including KCR and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee are leading efforts to bring opposition parties together in the run-up to 2024 General Elections, when the BJP under PM Modi will be fighting to secure a third consecutive term at the Centre.