Modi promises a tougher, punchier BJP in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Telangana would see the BJP being much more emphatic in its response to the TRS’ charges against the Centre and himself, indicating a harder line in the months leading to the Assembly elections due next year.

In a speech where he did not mince words, Modi in a clear reference to TRS leaders criticising him, said he had been “subject to such treatment, and even regular abuse by people but God had made me in such a way that the abuse I receive turns into nutrition for me.”

Modi was addressing a crowd of around 5,000 BJP leaders and workers from the party’s city unit at the Begumpet airport in the afternoon, during a brief stopover on way to Ramagundam from Visakhapatnam.

The Prime Minister, on his first visit to the city after the BJP’s national executive meet in July, and the party’s loss in the Munugode bypoll, made it clear to “the people” who abuse him and the BJP that he was willing to take it and so would the BJP. But, “a fitting lesson will be taught if the aspirations of the people are thwarted. Those who indulge in such actions will not be spared,” he said.

Modi also had some advice to BJP workers on how to take criticism and abuse in their stride. In remarks that were met with loud cheers, the Prime Minister said, “BJP workers should not get distracted by abuse and criticism, but take it easy, and over a cup of tea in the evening, joke about it. And the next morning, get back to working for the people.”

Modi who spoke about corruption, parivarvaad — family rule — and superstition in the state, said, “The people of Telangana are seeking good governance and speedy development. The people now want a government that will work for every family. People now want a government and politics of ‘people first’ instead of ‘family first’.”

Pointing out the failure of the state government to allot two-bedroom houses to the poor, the Prime Minister said that under the PM Awas Yojana, around 3 crore houses had been provided to the poor but the TS government was creating roadblocks in the implementation of the programme in Telangana.

He said, “Hyderabad is the citadel of information and technology and it saddens me to see how superstition rules the roost in the government here. Every decision of this government, from choosing the office space, to deciding on the Cabinet, is ruled by superstition.” To develop the state, this deep-rooted malady in the state government must be fought.

Modi said “there is no question of letting those who looted the state go free.” Declaring that the government in the state had betrayed the trust of the people, he said, “The darkness will disappear soon, sunrise is not far, and the lotus will bloom in Telangana.”

Referring to the unduly large presence of ministers and TRS MLAs at Munugode for the November 3 byelection, the Prime Minister said, “The credit for dragging the state government machinery to Munugode goes to the BJP workers. Those who set up a Telangana party, enjoying posts and power, breached the trust of the people, and are ignoring the people,” he said, adding “some people trying to save themselves from investigations were trying to come together and attempting to form an alliance of the corrupt.”

Modi during his address, also ensured that due attention was paid to state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who the Prime Minister said, “instructed me to speak with all of you. I am also a party karyakarta like you.”

Echoing his slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishawas, sabka prayas’, he said “BJP is the party of youth and the poor people and now is the time to free the state of Telangana from the clutches of poverty and corruption and it is our responsibility.”

Modi also recalled how in 1984, when the BJP has just two seats in the Lok Sabha, the Telangana region had sent one of the MPs — C. Janga Reddy from the Hanamkonda constituency. The BJP always had a home in Telangana, he said, adding that the faith people of the state had shown in the party that time, became the foundation for the party which now held more than 300 Parliament seats across the country.