Khammam: Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday predicted that regional parties will call the shots in the coming days.
Stating that the regional parties alone can safeguard the interests of states, he claimed that the coming era belongs to the regional parties.
Addressing election rallies in Kothagudem and Khammam, he asked the people if they would accept the “slavery of Delhi” by voting for the Congress and the BJP. He remarked that both the national parties will not have any love for the people of Telangana.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said that neither the Congress nor the BJP held the flag of Telangana or led the movement for Telangana state. “When we fought for Telangana, they insulted us, opened fire on us and sent us to jail. Why will they have any love for you,” he asked.
The BRS chief also remarked that Congress leaders in the state will have no freedom as their switch will be in the hands of those sitting in Delhi.
“Can we also become ghulams of Delhi like them,” he asked.
He appealed to people to cast their votes for the party after watching the development around them with their own eyes. KCR said during the BRS rule, sectors like education, healthcare, transport, roads, electricity and drinking water have seen development.
“BRS government in less than 10 years has done what Congress could not do in 50 years,” he said.
The BRS chief recalled that when the Congress was in power, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) was running in losses. Immediately after formation of Telangana state, Singareni employees were given a three per cent increment.
KCR also mentioned that during Congress rule, the turnover of Singareni was only Rs 11,000 crore but the BRS has improved this to Rs 33,000 crore. He said under the BRS rule, the profits of Singareni improved from Rs 419 crore to Rs 2,124 crore. He claimed that earlier Singareni employees used to get a share of Rs 60 to 70 crore every year but this year the government paid them Rs 700 crore as bonus.
Listing out the steps taken by the state government for the welfare of Singareni employees, he also alleged that due to the inefficiency of the Congress, the Central government got 49 per cent share in Singareni. He said the Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh did not repay the loans taken from the Centre and as a result, the Centre acquired 49 per cent stakes.
He said if Telangana state was not formed, Kothagudem would not have become a district. He said the BRS government also established a medical college in Kothagudem. The government also issued pattas to tribals for 13,500 acres of podu land in the constituency.
He told the Muslims in the gathering that only Rs 900 crore was spent on the development of minorities by the previous Congress government during 2004 to 2014, while the BRS government spent Rs 12,000 crore on minorities’ welfare during the last nine-and-a-half years.
“You can understand from this how each party works. You know how you were made vote bank and how your voters were looted and how injustice was done to you,” he said.
The BRS would like to take all sections along, he said.
Rao reiterated that Telangana would remain a secular state as long as he is alive.
Earlier, addressing a public meeting at Kothagudem, Rao said people should compare the progress made during his BRS regime since 2014 and the previous Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh before exercising their franchise in the November 30 assembly polls.
“You have seen progress in the past and now. You tally (progress), take out the statistics. What was the government’s focus?What is happening to farmers, to the poor, welfare, basic amenities, electricity, water? My appeal to you is to think about these things and vote,” he said.
Exuding confidence that the BRS will come to power for the third consecutive term, KCR said he would personally come and inaugurate the Sitharama project. He urged people to see the qualities of the candidate before casting their votes.
“Since there will be a party behind the candidate, people should see its history and its approach and vote it to power,” he said.
(with inputs from IANS and PTI)
