NIRMAL/NIZAMABAD/DHARMAPURI: Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday called on people not to get swayed by empty rhetoric and impossible-to-keep promises of opposition parties and that they should, instead, look at the antecedents of those parties and elect candidates whose party has a demonstrable track record in Telangana state.
Addressing BRS campaign meetings in the run-up to the November 30 elections to the state Legislative Assembly, Chandrashekar Rao said people should be vigilant while exercising their franchise as their votes could change their lives. “You should think on your own, discuss what has been done in the last nine and a half years in Telangana and vote for the candidate that represents the party which worked for the people," he said.
Telangana despite being a young state, he said, has emerged as a role model for the rest of the country, and the Congress which was given 11 chances to rule, did nothing for Telangana. They come and ask for one more chance. “Why should anyone vote for them,” he asked, and urged people to vote for BRS candidates.
He warned that if the Congress was voted to power, it is certain that it will abolish the Dharani portal that has put the power of deciding what to do with their lands in the hands of farmers. A Congress government will also abolish Rythu Bandhu, Dalit Bandhu and the 24-hour power supply to farmers will also disappear, he warned.
He also said the BRS stands for secularism, equality and development for all, and declared that "as long as I am alive, Telangana will remain a secular state."
He said it was not enough that people attend his meetings in large numbers but that they should, when they go back to their towns and villages, discuss the issues he talks about so everyone understands how Telangana has developed, how the BRS government has worked for farmers, and how the state has the best welfare schemes for the people.
He strongly condemned the attack on BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy who is the ruling party candidate from Dubbak, and alleged that with the exception of BRS, all other political parties used Dalits as a vote bank for the last 60 years.
At his meeting in Dharmapuri, the Chief Minister said while Dalit Bandhu could not be extended to all Dalit families at once, it will be done in a phased manner. And if you elect Koppula Eshwar from here with a huge majority, we will implement the scheme in the constituency at one go," he said amidst loud cheer.
Speaking at another meeting in the Balkonda Assembly constituency, Chandrashekhar Rao said if BRS candidate V. Prashanth Reddy gets a big position after the party’s victory in the election, he could boost development in the area.
“Earlier, Balkonda Assembly constituency was utterly ignored. If Prashanth sat in a big position, it would boost the development of Balkonda Assembly constituency,” he said.
Trying to emotionally connect with the people, Chandrashekhar Rao said the Mothe village in Balkonda Assembly constituency was the first village to pass a resolution in support of a separate Telangana.
“I picked up 'matti' (soil) from Mothe village and kept it in Hyderabad as 'mudupu' till we achieved statehood for Telangana. I returned 'mudupu' and mixed it with Mothe soil after the formation of Telangana state,” the Chief Minister said.
“We could find bidi workers in 17 states, but no state gives them a pension,” he said.
