Hyderabad: Hoping to repeat Congress’ victory in Telangana after Karnataka, where the party had announced five poll guarantees, former AICC chief and senior leader Sonia Gandhi announced a similar list of guarantees for Telangana on Sunday.
She said that forming a Congress government in Telangana was her dream and asked the people to support the party to fulfil that dream. “It has been my dream to see the Congress government in Telangana that will work for all sections of the society. Are you all going to give us your support?” she asked the people.
She was speaking at the massive ‘Vijaya Bheri‘ public meeting held at Tukkuguda on Sunday. She said that it was Congress that made the state of Telangana a reality. “I, along with my colleagues had the opportunity to be a part of the birth of this great state, Telangana. Now, it is our duty to elevate it to new heights,” Sonia Gandhi said.
BRS, BJP, AIMIM working together: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the public meeting, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress was fighting against not just the BRS, but against the nexus between the BRS, BJP and the AIMIM. “These parties claim to be working individually, but in reality are working together. I noticed BRS MPs in Lok Sabha. Whenever the BJP wanted support in the Parliament, BRS MPs stood in support. During the passage of the farm bills, BRS stood with the BJP after a signal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
He also claimed that the BRS supported the BJP during the election of the President and the Vice President. “They also supported the BJP on GST,” he said.
Rahul further alleged that all three parties (BRS, BJP and AIMIM) planned meetings on the same day as Congress in order to create disturbances. “But the Congress is so strong in Telangana that they failed in doing so. Tonight, they will make calls to find other routes for this purpose,” he said.
The Wayanad MP went on to say that that while the Central agencies filed many cases against all opposition parties none was filed against Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and leaders of the AIMIM. “Narendra Modiji will not target his own people,” he said.
Rahul further said that just like the BJP’s support to the BRS, the AIMIM also ‘disturbs’ Congress in states that the grand old party is in the contest.
‘Sonia Gandhi made Telangana possible’
Rahul said that once Sonia Gandhi promises something, she will fulfill them despite ‘all hardships’. “In 2004, she told you that the Congress will think about Telangana statehood. Once she said it, she delivered on the statehood. She made your dream of a state for which you spent all your blood and sweat,” he remarked.
He also said that the Congress didn’t make Telangana possible for the ‘benefit’ of KCR and his family. “We made it happen for the poor, farmers, mothers and workers of the state, But nobody benefited in the last nine years,” he added.
Rahul exuded confidence that the BRS government will be ‘dethroned’ in the next 100 days despite “what the BJP and the AIMIM want.”
The six guarantees
While Sonia announced the party’s six guarantees for Telangana ahead of polls, Rahul Gandhi said that these promises will be put into execution on the first day that the Congress’ cabinet swears in. “We delivered on the same in Karnataka,” he said.
- Under the ‘Mahalakshmi‘ promise, Rs 2500 monthly financial assistance to the woman head of the family, a promise to bring down the LPG gas cylinder price to Rs 500, and free travel for women in state-run RTC buses is announced
- Under the ‘Raithu Bharosa‘ scheme, the party promised Rs 15000/acre crop support annually, and Rs 12000 to tenant farmers and agricultural workers. Also, Rs 500 as a ‘bonus’ per quintal to the paddy crop other than the MSP will be provided, the party said
- Under the ‘Gruha Jyothi‘ scheme, the party promised free power up to 200 units to every house
- Under the ‘Indiramma Indlu‘ (housing) scheme land for the landless, Rs 5 lakhs assistance for the construction of houses for the homeless, and 250 square yards of land for the Telangana movement fighters is announced
- Under the ‘Yuva Vikasam‘ scheme, Rs 5 lakhs worth of ‘Vidya Bharosa’ cards to students, assistance for coaching fees, and Telangana International Schools per Mandal will be established, the party said
- Under the ‘Cheyutha‘ scheme, Rs 4000 monthly pension to senior citizens and Rs 10 lakh worth of medical insurance under the ‘Rajiv Aarogyasree’ scheme will be delivered, it said.
