Congress Slams KTR Over Booklet, Asks ECI to Cancel BRS Registration

HYDERABAD: The Congress on Thursday took strong exception to BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao's release of the ‘Congress 420 promises’ booklet and filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India, seeking cancellation of the BRS’ registration.

Senior Congress leaders were especially enraged with the number 420 overlapping with the Congress’ hand symbol, as the number implied cheating as per the Indian Penal Code.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, ministers D. Sridhar Babu, Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) and TPCC senior vice-president G. Niranjan accused Rama Rao of lacking humility and displaying arrogance despite the people rejecting them in the Assembly polls.

Sridhar Babu said it was shameful that Rama Rao released the booklet, accusing the Congress of not fulfilling the poll promises, and ignoring the fact that the Congress government had not even completed a month in office.

 “Assembly polls were held on November 30. Results were declared on December 3. Congress government was formed on December 7. Within two days of coming to power, we started implementation of two guarantees. We launched Maha Lakshmi free bus travel scheme for women and enhanced Rajiv Aarogyasri health insurance of '10 lakh on December 10. More than 6.5 crore women have already availed of free bus service. We are committed to implementing all Six Guarantees we had promised during Assembly polls within 100 days,” Sridhar Babu said.

Asking Rama Rao to be patient for at least 100 days before making accusations, Babu compared the scenario following the elections in 2018.

“The election results were announced on December 11, 2018, and the BRS formed the government on December 13, 2019. For 66 days, KCR did not even form the Cabinet. There was just one minister, Mahmood Ali, in his Cabinet until February 19, 2019. Before pointing fingers at the Congress government, which implemented two guarantees within a month, Rama Rao should be ashamed for what his father achieved in the same time frame in 2018-19,” Babu said.

Minister Seethakka said: “BRS leaders, who ruled the state for 3,500 days and failed to fulfil any of their major poll promises, were questioning the Congress government, which did not complete even 35 days, on poll promises. ‘420 promises’ applies to BRS leaders aptly. If there are ‘420s’ who ruled the state, it's BRS leaders, who cheated people with fake promises in the past nine years.”

She sought to remind Rama Rao of unfulfilled promises, over two terms, of distribution of three-acre plots to Dalits, 12 per cent reservation for Muslims, KG-PG free education, making a Dalit leader the Chief Minister and 2BHK houses, among others, asking him to first apologise for the failures.

Niranjan met Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj and submitted a complaint seeking derecognition of BRS “for releasing a booklet on Congress to damage the reputation of 139-year-old party”.