HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday declared that there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the BRS will return to power in Telangana state, and asked voters to make their choices wisely based on performance records of parties in the election fray.
Pitting the performance of the BRS government over the past 10 years in the state and comparing it with that of the Congress which ruled the state for more than 50 years, Chandrashekar Rao said that all people have to do is to see what is visible, think carefully and cast their votes. “No one can defeat us when our votes are used wisely, without coming under influence of inducements,” he said.
Chandrashekar Rao also made it clear that the election was between him as the Chief Minister who implemented unheard of welfare programmes such as Dalit Bandhu, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, ensured 24 hours free power supply to farmers, and the opposition parties which did not think about people. “Many of what we did were not in our manifesto but we introduced programmes because BRS cares for people,” he declared.
Addressing BRS campaign meetings at Sathupalli and Yellandu, the BRS chief said people should vote for the BRS, and asked people if they would “come across a leader like KCR who has your welfare on his mind. Leaders like KCR do not happen often”.
He said if people make a mistake and vote for other parties, then “even I cannot do anything at that point of time”.
Chandrashekar Rao also took a dig at Andhra Pradesh at the meeting in Sathupalli saying, “You all know the difference between Telangana and Andhra. When you hit a two-lane road in good condition you know that you are in Telangana and when it is a poorly maintained single road, you know you are in Andhra.”
The Chief Minister, who had been concentrating his attacks on the Congress, on Wednesday also took aim at the BJP, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying Modi is privatising everything, from railways, airports, LIC and power sector.
“I ensured the power sector in Telangana state stays with the government, be it building the Bhadradri or Yadadri thermal power plants, we did not give a single megawatt generation to the private sector. So Modi got angry," said Chandrashekhar Rao.
Modi asked me to fix meters for agricultural pump sets. “This would have meant an expenditure of Rs 25,000 crore for farmers and I said nothing. Farmers should be happy. We not only give free power but cancelled water cess, provide free irrigation, Rythu Bandhu which will be increased in the next term. And even if the government goes into a loss, we buy every grain you produce,” he said.
Returning to his attacks on the Congress, Chandrashekar Rao said Rahul Gandhi, who never held a plough in his life, talks about scrapping Dharani portal which placed all rights of farmers’ lands in their hands by removing the revenue department and all other officials from having any role in farm land registrations.
“If Dharani is removed, it will be back to corruption by VROs, MROs and other officials. The Congress has no plans for any alternative to Dharani. Then there is the other leader Uttam Kumar Reddy who says KCR has no brains and is wasting tax-payers money on Rythu Bandhu.
Should this scheme and 24 hours of power be stopped?” he asked to which the crowds responded saying they want the schemes to continue.
He said there are some leaders in Khammam who have earned some money and are now saying they will stop anyone from the BRS from entering the Assembly. ‘It is you who will put people in the Assembly, not those leaders,” he told the crowds.
