He said neither the BJP nor the Congress could raise the "Jai Telangana" slogan with as much commitment as BRS leaders.
Published Mar 13, 2024 | 1:27 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 13, 2024 | 1:28 AM
BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao addresses a rally at Karimnagar on Tuesday, 12 March, 2024. (Supplied)
BRS supremo and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday, 12 March, kick-started his party’s campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in the state with an impassioned plea to the people not to be led astray like in Assembly elections, but vote for BRS candidates.
He was addressing a well-attended public meeting labelled “Kadana Bheri” at Karimnagar, which was once the ground zero for the Telangana movement.
KCR said on the occasion that he did not mind the minor bump he had faced — referring to the Assembly election loss — but was ready to fight for people’s interests.
“Had you elected the BRS in the last Assembly elections, I would have by ignited fires across the entire nation,” he said while describing how myopic the BJP at the Centre was in not being able to take full advantage of the natural resources available for the benefit of the people at large.
He, however, said he had taken this minor setback into his stride and was ready to take a deep dive once again into public life.
కరీంనగర్ కదనభేరి సభను విజయవంతం చేసిన ప్రతి ఒక్కరికి కృతజ్ఞతలు
అశేషంగా తరలివచ్చిన ప్రజానీకానికి హృదయపూర్వక ధన్యవాదాలు
నాడు అయినా.. నేడు అయినా.. ఏనాడైనా..
కరీంనగర్ గడ్డ.. గులాబీ అడ్డలోక్ సభ ఎన్నికల్లో కరీంనగర్ నుంచే బీఆర్ఎస్ జైత్రయాత్ర ప్రారంభం
కరీంనగర్ ఎంపీగా వినోద్ కుమార్… pic.twitter.com/vB0GadNVBA
— KTR (@KTRBRS) March 12, 2024
KCR also sought to resurrect the Telangana sentiment by saying that neither the BJP nor the Congress could raise the “Jai Telangana” slogan with as much commitment as the BRS leaders.
He said the verdict of the Assembly elections was not against the BRS.
“In fact, the people were happy with our rule. They had all their wants satisfied. When the Congress leaders came along promising the moon, they fell for them. I do not blame them,” he said.
KCR also said that as soon as he demitted office, the incumbent Congress government failed to pay the Rythu Bandhu money to farmers and supply power round the clock to the agriculture sector.
“The nincompoops in the government are not able to pay the Rythu Bandhu funds. Neither are they capable of supplying power. The Congress has miserably failed in delivering welfare programmes to the people,” he said.
The BRS chief said that the BJP too was equally unfair to Telangana as it had not allotted even one Navodaya school to new districts created after reorganisation. It had not sanctioned even one medical college either, he said.
“Why should one vote for the BJP?” he asked as Lok Sabha elections are mainly fought on the performance of the central government.
He said the people should teach both parties a fitting lesson in the Lok Sabha elections, or they would become more arrogant and negligent in attending to the problems of the people.
KCR also took a swipe at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his recent utterances against the BRS.
“When the people are asking for water and power supply, why is Revanth Reddy saying that he would trample BRS workers and that Congress workers would explode like human bombs? He said he would pull out the entrails of the BRS workers and wear them around his neck and make an exhibition of it. Why is he so impatient?” he asked.
He disapproved of the narrative that the days of the BRS were numbered after a few “misfits” left the party.
“Their exit will make no difference. Some are painting a picture that the BRS has outlived its utility. Mark my words: Those who had said such words in the past were the ones who vanished — and not the BRS. The party will remain and the party’s flag will continue to flutter high in the air,” said KCR.
The BRS supremo arrived at the venue with the help of his walking stick and sat in a chair while addressing the crowd.
The audience paid attention to him, and cheered him up as he tore into the Congress and the BJP.
He was visibly impressed with the response from the audience when he warned the police for registering cases against BRS workers even for posting messages and videos on social media platforms.
“We were in power for 10 years. Had we used the police like the way Congress is using them, would any leader have left alive now?” he asked, eliciting much applause from the workers.
“Even though some leaders barked at us like street dogs, we ignored them. We concentrated on rebuilding Telangana by providing 24-hour power supply and several welfare schemes,” the former chief minister said.
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
