Hyderabad: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, February 7, alleged that the Congress in Telangana was sowing the seeds of division among people with its “divisive and appeasement policies”.
Addressing a rally at Sirpur Kagaznagar, about 300 km from here, in support of BJP candidates for the February 11 municipal elections in Telangana, he said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy believed he could remain in power in the state by appeasing certain sections.
“He (Reddy) has started a dangerous game. I would like to remind you that some Congress leaders, in a way, started a similar game before Independence. The result was that the country was divided and Pakistan, and later Bangladesh, were formed,” he charged.
He alleged that the Congress government was following similar “divisive policies” by dividing people on religious lines and granting reservations to people of other religions by taking them away from SCs and STs.
“In a way, Congress is sowing the seeds of division,” he added.
He said that future generations would ask their parents what they were doing when such divisive talk was going on.
Fadnavis said the wind of the BJP’s thumping victory in the recent municipal elections in Maharashtra would reach neighbouring Telangana.
He said a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would be installed in Mancherial if his party won. Observing that Telangana was a revenue-surplus state when it was formed in 2014, he alleged that it had now become debt-ridden due to “corruption under the BRS and Congress governments. “Telangana has dipped after K Chandrashekar Rao and now the Congress has come to power. The state’s treasury has become empty. Debts have mounted,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister alleged.
On the inter-state water sharing dispute between the two states, Fadnavis said, “The current irrigation progress in Telangana is a result of Maharashtra’s cooperation. We are happy to provide water to ensure justice for local farmers.”
He alleged that the BRS and Congress governments in Telangana did not provide funds for land acquisition in Maharashtra, which he completed.
“You can see the intentions of the BRS and Congress. These people even betray those who gave them water. They cannot do good for the people,” he said.
Alleging that municipalities had been neglected for 70 years, he said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who ensured funds for towns along with villages.
PM Modi ensured funding for the development of towns and cities under schemes such as Smart Cities and Amrit Bharat, he added.
However, he said that funds provided by PM Modi would reach municipalities only if state and local body governments cooperated, urging people to elect the BJP to power.
Out of 280 municipalities in the western state, the BJP bagged 240. Of the 29 municipal corporations, the BJP and its allies won mayoral posts in 26, he said.
For the first time, a BJP mayor is being elected in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, he added.
He expressed confidence that the BJP would make impressive gains in Telangana in the urban local body polls.
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