Hyderabad: Terming the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana as “a referendum of the people on the rule of Congress government” in the state, chief minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to the people to give their verdict based on the decisions taken by the Congress government in the first 100 days.
He asked the people to compare BRS’ rule from December 7, 2022 to April 28, 2023, with the Congress’ rule from December 7, 2023 to April 28, 2024, and to analyse the data about the supply of water, electricity, permissions in the municipalities, payment of salaries and pensions.
“If it is found that we have underperformed, I’m ready to receive punishment from KCR,” Revanth said, during a televised interview on Monday, April 29.
Reiterating his promise of implementing the crop loan waiver amounting to Rs 2 lakh by August 15, he also assured that the promise of extending Rythu Bharosa benefits to the tenant farmers will be fulfilled soon.
Referring to the Telangana Land Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011, Revanth said that tenant farmers will be identified based on the loan eligibility card (LEC) given to them, and only after holding gram sabhas and after approval of the panchayat, financial assistance will be extended to both the tenant farmer and the landlord.
‘KCR didn’t hold review meetings of 22 departments’
Lashing out at BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao for “destroying the system and institutions” in the state in the last ten years, he said that the former has not held review meetings for 22 out of 29 government departments, and has not sought any funds for those departments, due to which the state has heavily lost.
“I’m getting thousands of files daily mostly related to Arogyasri and CM relief fund. KCR has perpetrated destruction that is enough for a hundred years. A lack of attention and commitment has led to this situation,” he said.
On phone tapping
Submitting that he has not received any report on the inquiry on the infamous “phone-tapping case” involving top police officials, Revanth clarified that as of now, the case is only related to the missing equipment in the special branch wing of the police department, and that the investigation could further reach any conclusion, about which he has no knowledge about as of now.
He questioned why Union tourism minister G Kishan Reddy, who has been alleging that his phone was being tapped since he was the minister of state for home affairs, couldn’t ask Union home minister Amit Shah to conduct an inquiry into it at the time.
BJP is a ‘corporate party’
Calling BJP a “corporate political party” that has been fundamentally against the reservations, he said that BJP’s thinking was all about “crony capitalism” which created only two sections – rulers and slaves.
“When Bandi Sanjay became Karimnagar MP, he had complained to the enforcement directorate against the granite mining in Karimnagar. The ED came and left, but what action has been taken against anybody in the case? The complaint was filed against his political opponent Gangula Kamalakar, and Harish Rao and KTR held the mining ministry for five years each. What has come out of the case,” Revanth asked, alleging a coordinated effort of BJP and BRS to defeat Congress.
On BRS’ defection prediction
On the opposition predicting a coup in the Congress, Revanth reminded about the 1984 coup that Nadendla Bhaskar Rao had planned against the then chief minister of AP NT Rama Rao.
Revanth recalled how 30 MLAs of TDP who joined Nadendla’s group to dethrone NTR, returned to TDP within 30 days of the coup.
“Why does KCR still believe that he can tell lies? Some introspection should be there when the people have given him the responsibility to play the role of opposition. Why doesn’t he just say ‘let the boy do his job’ and give me suggestions in the better interest of the state,’ Revanth questioned.
Calling KCR a “born liar and looter,” Revanth felt that the people neither had any pity for him nor did they symathise with his daughter Kavitha when she got arrested in the Delhi liquor policy case.
“I have been saying right from the beginning that Professor Jayashankar is the father of Telangana. KCR is only the chief of a political party and nothing else,” he remarked.
Asserting that his only goal is to dedicate ten years for Telangana, Revanth said that as per the energy and wisdom he may gain by then, and if the party high command gives him any other responsibility, he will accept it with humility.
“If the people say that this lad has done his job well, that itself is the most satisfying thing for me. I don’t want people to see me as six-feet-tall Baahubali or raise me to the skies as some people would wish to see themselves. I’m a simple man,” Revanth said.
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