Hyderabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is in Telangana in his Bharat Jodo Yatra confirmed that there is absolutely no question of any tie-up between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Indian National Congress (INC).
Rahul Gandhi was speaking at a press conference in Kothur in the state on Monday.
Gandhi visits the state amid tensions in view of the upcoming Munugode by-poll. Slamming his opposition, Gandhi stated that Congress held internal elections for the position of the age-old party’s President but wondered when the RSS-BJP and TRS are going to hold polls.
He alleged that both the BJP and the TRS are using corruption money to buy MLAs and influence elections.
He said both the parties were spending hundreds of crores. “Where is this money coming from. It’s obviously coming from corruption and being distributed blatantly with no regard for any rule,” he said, addressing a news conference during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rangareddy district.
Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP and the TRS have similarities. “Both steal public money and use to influence elections,” he said when asked to comment on the recent incident in which three alleged agents of BJP were arrested while trying to buy four MLAs of TRS.
“Lot of damage done to the institutional framework of our country under the current government at Centre,” said Rahul slamming the BJP.
“We can’t stand with the corruption and the approach and attitude of TRS which is looting people of Telangana, snatching lands of Dalits and tribals, privatising education. We are diametrically opposite to what they are doing,” he said.
“If Nitish Ji wants to talk TRS that is his concern, his desire. He is welcome to do it,” he remarked when asked about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s talks with the TRS.
On the TRS deciding to go national by changing its name to BRS, the Congress leader remarked that any leader has the right to imagine his party in whatever way he wants. “If the Chief Minister of Telangana believes he is running a national party, it is perfectly okay. There is no problem. If he believes he is running a global party, that is also acceptable. He can imagine fighting elections in the United States and China. We are perfectly happy to accept it,” he said.
The Congress MP exuded confidence that Congress will win the next elections in Telangana.
He brushed aside questions about infighting in the party.
“Our party is democratic. It is not run on dictatorship. Our is the only party which conducts the internal election. This is our DNA and the discussion is in our nature. We will fight the elections together and win. There is no doubt about it.”
He claimed that Congress demonstrated it is a democratic party by holding elections for the post of party President.
Speaking of the upcoming polls in Gujarat, Rahul said that the Congress is in full swing in the state, preparing for the assembly elections. He slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and accused them of talking in the air with no work on the ground.
(The story has been edited with inputs from IANS.)
