Telangana CM KCR Sanctions Rs 5 Crore For Renovation Of Kannada Sahitya Mandira Ahead Of His Party's Electoral Foray Into Karnataka

Telangana Chief Minister and supremo of the newly christened Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has directed the state officials to ensure the restoration of the Kannada Sahitya Vedika in the capital.

The CM sanctioned Rs 5 for the renovation and restoration of Sahitya Vedika in Kachiguda.

The outreach to Kannadigas comes amid BRS's electoral foray into neighbouring Karnataka.

KCR claimed that his government respects the literary and cultural traditions of people of all other states and regions who settled in Hyderabad for decades.

KCR said that Hyderabad epitomises the spirit of 'Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb' and that his government will try to preserve the way of life of Hyderabad, inhabited by different communities. Ganga–Jamuni Tehzeeb is an Awadi term for supposed syncretic fusion that emerged from Hindu and Muslim cultural interaction.

He took this decision on the request of Amberpet MLA Kaleru Venkatesh and Karnataka residents living in the city as well as across the State. 

The BRS plans to strike a 'strategic' poll alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) led by former Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.

"BRS will help JDS in fighting against Congress and BJP in Karnataka. We are confident we will see HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister... Our party will come to Karnataka and will join in the campaign, with our full support to JDS." KCR said during a Hyderabad event to celebrate Telangana Rashtra Samiti's re-launch as BRS. Kumaraswamy was a special invitee for the event.

KCR is said to be focussing the six districts ( Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburagi, and Ballari-Vijayanagara) in Karnataka which were part of the erstwhile Hyderabad State and was known as the Hyderabad-Karnataka region (now renamed Kalyana Karnataka. These districts have 40 Assembly seats.

Telugu-speaking population in Karnataka is concentrated mainly in Bengaluru-Chikballapur-Kolar and Kalyana Karnataka regions. Informal estimates put Telugu speakers as comprising 15% of Karnataka's population (about 1.35 crore people).

BRS is reportedly planning to fight anywhere between 20 and 24 seats on its own in the Kalyana Karnataka region and one or two in Bengaluru City, where there is a sizeable Telugu-speaking population.