K Chandrasekhar Rao: I will wage war to protect self-respect

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said he dreamt of a golden Telangana.

“My dream is Bangaru Telangana. Telangana is not backward, but has been pushed to backwardness. We are a surplus state and thanks to Nizam we have tracts of lands and resources. We have 40.6 per cent urbanisation on par with Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. AP is no competition to us, we are ahead of it,” he told a vernacular TV channel on Thursday.

His comments came while explaining how he would mobilise the required funds for the Rs 17,000 crore to Rs 19,000 crore loan waiver scheme, the two-bedroom housing scheme, KG to PG free education and completion of irrigation projects among other huge financial commitments.

Seeking cooperation of the people, Mr Rao said that the state would have a Rs 75,000 crore plan and non-plan budget, including Rs 35,000 crore towards plan budget. The Rs 19,000 crore expenditure for farmers’ loan waiver scheme would be spread over four/five years to the banks, he added.

When a caller on the show wished him 100 years of life, Mr Rao said with a smile, “I am 60 now. I am happy if I continue for five to 10 years. I got a life of 1,000 years in achieving Telangana. In fact, I wanted to quit politics, retire to my farmhouse and write books at the fag end of life, but people forced me to take active role in politics again.”

Talking about the Centre’s alleged attempts to encroach on the state’s rights, he said, “KCR is a fighter and not a beggar. I will mobilise all the chief ministers, including those in BJP ruled states, if any attempt is made to hand over Hyderabad law and order to the Governor. I will wage a war against the Centre to protect our self-respect.”

Promising to continue cracking down on illegal constructions, encroachments of government lands, Wakf lands, endowment lands and other illegal activities, the Chief Minister asserted that his priority was to ensure a regulated Hyderabad city, a top international destination and a safe city for all, especially women who worked nights.

Asserting that 12 per cent reservations for Muslims was possible, he said a committee would be constituted with a High Court judge to study its implementation and submit a report in three to four months. “I will implement it at any cost,” he said.

Narrating various incidents during his three decades of political career as Legislator, MP, Union minister and now CM, he said he treated the party the manifesto as the Bhagwad Gita and would implement it at any cost.

To a question, he disclosed that his son and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, had coined the name of the new Rs 50,000 marriage scheme for Dalit, Girijan girls and it had received a huge response. He added that several of the schemes announced pertained to real life incidents during his political career.