Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being felicitated by Mulugu MLA Seethakka during a public meeting as part of Vijayabheri Yatra, in Mulugu district on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Arrangement
Dubbing the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana as the BJP’s ‘B’ team, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called upon people of Telangana to vote for the Congress in the November 30 Assembly polls to defeat the ‘corruption-ridden’ BRS at the hustings.
The BRS dispensation here is being remotely controlled by the Narendra Modi regime at the Centre and both the parties along with the AIMIM are working together to defeat the Congress, he charged while addressing a huge public meeting held in Telangana’s tribal heartland of Mulugu on Wednesday evening.
Mr.Gandhi addressed the election meeting, flanked by his sister and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a host of State Congress leaders, including Mulugu MLA Seethakka, sounding the poll bugle in the tribal region of poll-bound Telangana.
The ensuing electoral battle is between the Dorala (feudal lords’) Telangana and Prajala (people’s) Telangana, he said, adding that the Congress party-led UPA government fulfilled the aspirations of the people of Telangana by carving out a separate State in 2014. Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao made a slew of promises to Dalits, tribals, farmers, unemployed youths but failed to deliver on them, he charged.
“How many of you received three-acre land, two-bedroom houses and jobs. What happened to his [Mr.Rao’s] assurance of clean and transparent rule,” he asked the crowd, alleging that the BRS regime was steeped in corruption. “They have taken ₹1 lakh crore from you (people) in the name of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, and snatched away your lands using Dharani portal,” he flayed.
“The Modi regime is acting with political vengeance against Congress leaders and misusing the Central agencies. They have booked me in numerous cases and disqualified me from Parliament as part of vendetta politics,” Mr.Gandhi flayed. “But the Chief Minister here has been spared from the central investigation agencies,” he alleged.
Any vote to the BRS will go to the BJP, he said, reiterating that the Congress party will defeat the BRS in next month’s Assembly polls in Telangana and defeat the BJP at the Centre in the general elections.
Reaffirming that the Congress is committed to implement its six guarantees in Telangana, he said, “We have implemented whatever we promised in the Congress-ruled States including Karnataka. We will implement all the six guarantees including ₹2500 per month, gas cylinder at ₹500 for women, 200-unit free power to each household as assured after coming to power.”
The legitimate rights of Adivasis over ‘jal, jungle and zameen’ will be upheld and their interests will be safeguarded by the Congress, he assured, saying the party after coming to power at the Centre will declare the historic Sammakka Saralamma jathara, the biannual mega tribal fair, as a national festival on the lines of Kumbh Mela.
