HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday announced that he would not hesitate to set up a national party if the people believed that would help India get rid of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and send it packing in the next general elections.
Declaring that the BJP must be rooted out of the country, Chandrashekar Rao told at a news conference that whatever change that needed to happen, should come from the people who must be made aware of the ways in which the BJP was destroying India. The Telangana Chief Minister’s pronouncement of possible new political alignments in the country comes amidst increasing political heat generated by a sustained, and what appears to be a no-holds-barred battle against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chandrashekar Rao said the political realignment that could rid the nation of the BJP governance would emerge as the days go by. “What kind it will be, in what manner, whether a national party or a front, it will be known in the days to come,” he said.
“One thing I promise you,” the Telangana Chief Minister said, “I will play a major role in the force that will emerge.”
He said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had a telephonic conversation with him, asked him to go to Bengal, and said she was willing to come here. “I also have to go to Mumbai to meet the Maharashtra Chief Minister,” he said, hinting things were getting serious on putting together an anti-BJP coalition.
He also declared that he would not let go of the slandering of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, until the BJP apologised for the remarks made by Himanta Biswa.
Chandrashekar Rao said there was nothing wrong in Rahul Gandhi asking for proof of surgical strike by India across the border in Pakistan. “Yes, half the nation believes it has doubts about it. I too am asking for proof. If anyone questions the BJP government, they threaten to use CBI and the Enforcement Directorate against them. Let them do so if they want as claimed by state BJP leaders. I have nothing to hide. Gold only shines better after it is put through fire,” Chandrashekar Rao said.
Launching a direct attack on Modi, the Chief Minister called the Prime Minister “a liar,” and showed a video of Modi’s comments while launching Mission Bhagiratha programme in the state. Modi then said that the Centre was supplying power to states at the rate of Rs 1.10 per unit, which was an outright lie. The Centre’s power production and reforms ensured that Telangana was getting cheap power instead of at Rs 11 to Rs 11.50 a unit. “We kept quiet as we invited him and he was our guest,” he said. “I am asking with folded hands, has your government, Modiji, ever given power at this rate to any state? Why are you misleading people of the country with lies?” Chandrashekar Rao said.
“Everyone in the BJP is a liar, from the state BJP president to the prime minister. This is ‘Jhoot Nirbhar Bharat,” he said.
Industrial production tanked in the country from 4.4 per cent in September last year to 0.4 per cent in December. “Is this the ‘Make in India’ that Modi talks about? As many as 33 people, most of them from Gujarat – Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and so on - the state from where Modi comes, cheated banks and ran away to London and elsewhere where they are picnicking. There is large scale corruption in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. India bought 36 Rafale at $9.4 billion. Indonesia bought 42 for just $ 8 billion. We will expose everything. We will take this battle to Delhi. Why should we be silent when the country is being destroyed?” he said.
He also came down heavily on Union minister G. Kishan Reddy saying the latter was accusing him of not understanding the Union budget. "We understand it very well. It is he who does not. Subsidies have been cut for fertilizers, rural employment, and now the Centre wants to force states to purchase solar power from companies set up by BJP cronies and says “only if we buy solar power, then the states will be allowed to get the 0.5 per cent additional FRBM funding. We are willing to lose Rs 25,000 crore on this front over the next five years but will not allow metering of agricultural pump sets, or remove subsidies," he said.
“For now, I am being polite with Kishan Reddy as he is from our state. Next time, if he continues to speak as he pleases, I might not be,” the Chief Minister said.
