Revanth slams Modi, KCR on Bharat Jodo Yatra's first anniversary

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress leaders on Thursday commemorated the first anniversary of the Bharat Jodo Yatra undertaken by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi last year, sharing how it bore fruit for the country.

TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy said, “The nation is ridden with fissures along religious lines under the NDA government. Women are being attacked, Dalits and tribals are suffering, and minorities are not safe. When women in Manipur were being stripped, Modi and Shah turned a blind eye to it and were politicking in Karnataka for elections.”

“Rahul Gandhi undertook the padayatra to rid the country of being divided on religious lines by the Modi government by giving the slogan ‘Naphrat Chodo Bharat Jodo’. We are here to commemorate that historic padayatra which completes one year today,” he said at a rally from the Rajiv Gandhi statue in Somajiguda and to the Indira Gandhi statue on P.V. Narsimha Rao Marg (Necklace Road),

Revanth Reddy claimed that freedom earned from the British Raj, at great cost and sacrifice, was in danger now. “The standards of living are falling and youth don’t have jobs. Modi, who promised two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh into the accounts of everyone by bringing back black money stashed in Swiss banks, is unable to answer what he has done so far. He is now trying to change the name of the country to Bharat. I ask Modi — why did you give the slogan of Make in India? Why are you changing it now? Both Bharat and India are names which have been in use for ages now and were not discovered by Modi,” he said.

“Looks like our alliance naming itself I.N.D.I.A. has rattled him,” he said.

Referring to Modi’s frequent jibes at the Congress on what it had done for 60 years, the TPCC chief said, “Were the schools in which children of BJP leaders studied not built by us? Was the railway station in which Modi is said to have sold tea not built by us? Were the airports in Gujarat and Delhi where he landed not built by us? We electrified 1.07 lakh villages and laid roads to them and provided drinking water.”

Warning AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi against treating the city as his fiefdom, he said, “There is another Nizam in Hyderabad. You are from Solapur in Maharashtra, not Hyderabad. This time, we will see who runs this city.”

“Asad should stop taking the side of KCR. He has been repeatedly calling for voting in the BRS. Why should anyone vote for KCR? Is it for his support for triple talaq, Article 370, backing BJP’s Presidential and vice-presidential candidates in elections, GST and demonetisation? Why should BRS be supported?”

Addressing the rally Telangana AICC incharge Manikrao Thakre said, “Rahul’s message of unity should be carried forward. He walked with the poorest of the poor to keep the country together. People are looking towards him. He sent a message that we need to be together unlike parties like BRS which are hand in glove with the BJP.”

TPCC participants included Mahesh Kumar Goud, MLA T. Jayaprakash ‘Jagga’ Reddy, Mohammad Azharuddin, Anjan Kumar Yadav, former PCC presidents Ponnala Lakshmaiah and V. Hanumantha Rao, AICC secretary Mansoor Ali Khan, DCC presidents Anil Kumar Yadav and Sameer Waliullah, and leaders Feroz Khan and Kota Neelima.