The prime minister on one hand slamming "dynastic" parties, and on the other hand wooed tribals and the masses with development talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a BJP rally in Adilabad on Monday, 4 March, 2024. (Supplied)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 4 March, set the ball rolling for the BJP’s Telangana campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha election by calling the public meeting he was addressing in Adilabad as one intended to celebrate the development taking place all over the country.
“This is not an election rally. The election commission has not even announced the schedule. I have come into your midst to share the joy of letting you know that the country is now on a fast track to development,” he said, despite the meeting having all the trappings of an election rally.
The prime minister at one stage sought to enlist the support of the people to help the BJP win 400 Lok Sabha seats in the ensuing elections. He even said “400” in words in Telugu to ensure that the message went through.
At the rally, Modi kept repeating how baneful the parivar (family-run) parties would be to the social fabric of the nation. He said they always hamstring the development of the nation.
“In Telangana, you have a parivar party. Now another party has come to power,” he said. The references were to the BRS and the Congress.
The BRS is headed by K Chandrashekar Rao, who was the chief minister of Telangana for its first two Assembly cycles. His second-in-command is his son KT Rama Rao. KCR’s nephew T Harish Rao is also a top BRS functionary, and, and daughter Kavitha is an MLC.
As for the Congress, the BJP has long called it dynastic in nature, often directing the jibe at Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.
Modi said at Monday’s rally: “The first party robbed the state through the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Now the second party wants to rob the people further using the same KLIS. That is why it was sitting on files without taking action. They are together in this.”
He said the TRS might have rebranded itself as the BRS, but nothing had changed. Then the BRS gave way to the Congress, but nothing was going to change, he added.
“The dynasty parties may look different outwardly, but their characteristics are the same — jhoot (lies) and loot,” he said.
The prime minister went to great lengths to project an image that he was a selfless servant of the people.
“I work late into the night. I get messages to rest and take care of my health. I am overwhelmed by the love and affection the people are showing,” he said.
He also pointed out that when he left home, he had carried with him the dream of serving the people. “I am doing it now. My life is an open book. I am here to fulfil your dreams. My purpose in life is to make your dreams come true,” he said, eliciting a huge response from the youths who attended the rally in big numbers.
The prime minister at the outset said that he was busy not with election preparations but preparing a blueprint for the development of the nation.
“During the last 15 days, I have inaugurated 15 AIIMS. I have been working hard to take the ‘Atmanirbhar’ forward to convert it into Viksit Bharat. I had a long discussion with the officials on Sunday, chalking out plans for the development of the country,” he said, adding that he, too, had a parivar, but it was the 140 crore people of the country. He said: “Mera Bharat, Mera Parivar.”
The prime minister tried to strike a chord with the tribals — as they constituted a major portion of the audience — by recalling the valour of Ramji Gondu and Komaram Bheem.
He said the BJP always accorded the highest priority for the amelioration of the tribals. “Did anyone ever imagine that a tribal woman would become the president of India?” he asked.
Modi also pointed to the starting of the Sammaka Sarakka Tribal University in Telangana.
He said: “Modi guarantees all the guarantees made to you.” He added that he had already announced seven mega textile parks for the entire country, of which one would be located in Telangana. He said the tribal museum coming up in Hyderabad will be named after Ramji Gondu.
In Adilabad, highlighted the NDA Government’s efforts to empower tribal communities. pic.twitter.com/Kj8P5eZtPl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 4, 2024
The prime minister said that Telangana should hold its head high as its contribution to the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya was invaluable.
It had a role in the construction of the Dhwaja Sthambha in the temple, he said, reminding the people of Telangana that he aimed to ensure that the country would stand among the top countries in the world in the next 25 years.
Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated development works worth ₹7,000 crore virtually, with the press of a button.
They included an NTPC Telangana project at Ramagundam and several railway projects, including the one related to the electrification of the Amabri-Pimpalkutti section via Adilabad.
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