Modi Turns On His Telugu Charm, Says ‘Nalgu Vandalu Datale, BJP Ki Vote Veyyale’

Adilabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday slammed the previous (BRS) and the current (Congress) state governments, terming them both as having the “same history of looting”, while addressing a public meeting in Adilabad after launching projects worth Rs 56,000 crore.

Modi, for the first time, talked about the Kaleshwaram project that is mired in serious trouble, saying it showcased how BRS and Congress function. “The two parties have in common the practice of lying and looting. Their faces may be different, but they are dynastic parties. Ek loot, doosra jhoot (one loots, the other lies),” Modi said.

“The Kaleshwaram scam happened under the BRS rule. The Congress government is hiding the files and not investigating it. First, the BRS looted, and now the Congress wants to do the same,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister, who peppered his talk with phrases in Telugu — which drew enthusiastic responses from the large crowd — said it was wrong of other parties to term his visits election campaigning. “The election notification (for Lok Sabha polls) has not been issued. These meetings are about Atmanirbhar Bharat. Those saying I am holding ‘chunavi’ meetings should know what we did in the past 15 days. Do you want to hear what we did?” he said, drawing a loud affirmative response from the crowd.

“In these 15 days, we inaugurated 2 IITs, 1 IIIT, 3 IIMs, 1 IISc and 5 AIIMS. We inaugurated the world’s largest grain storage scheme for farmers and launched the computerised 18,000 primary agriculture cooperative societies. The list is long, these meetings are not about elections, it is about Atmanirbhar Bharat,” he said.

Addressing tribal communities, who form a large chunk of the Adilabad population, Modi said familial parties never respected Adivasis and added that tribal groups like Chenchu, Kondareddy, Thoti, and Kolam tribes of Telangana are now receiving benefits under PM Janman Yojana. “A Central tribal university named after Sammakka Sarakka in Warangal is coming up, and it is the BJP that ensured a woman from a tribal community became President of India. Could something like this could have even been imagined in the past?” he said.

Saying that the people of the country wanted the BJP to cross 400 votes, he said in Telugu: “Nalgu vandalu datale ... BJP ki vote veyyale (We should cross 400, BJP should get your vote).”

This drew a loud public response, with people joining him saying that they would vote for the BJP and help it cross the 400-mark in the Lok Sabha.

Modi said that both the Central and Telangana state governments should move together in the journey of development, claiming that the Centre has been extending cooperation to the state over the past 10 years towards the goal. “This cooperation will continue,” he said.

Modi also said Rama Lalla’s blessings are with the people of Telangana given their role in the construction of golden doors and ‘Sthambh’ of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. “For this, the people of the country are indebted to the people of Telangana,” he said.

Earlier in the day, at an official event, Modi thanked Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for participating in the programme.

Union minister and BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy, Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay, Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao, BJPLP leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy, MLAs Payal Shankar, Rama Rao Patel and Palvai Harish Babu, BJP national convenor of OBC Morcha Dr. K. Laxman, former union minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, former MP Ramesh Rathod and senior BJP leaders Amar Singh Tilawat, Suhasini Reddy, Kasam Venkateshwalry and Alja Srinivas were among those present.