Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday gave the BJP in Telangana one final major push ahead of the November 30 Assembly elections, even as he laid the groundwork for the 2024 elections to the Lok Sabha, making it clear that it will be a Modi government again at the Centre and the people of Telangana could make the most of it by ensuring a ‘double-engine sarkar’.
Modi, for the third straight day, continued attacking the BRS and its president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and members of his family. On Monday, at both his meetings, Modi talked about how “KCR promised ‘Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyamakalu (water, funds, jobs)’, but only delivered ‘Kanneellu, Mosalu, Nirudyogulu (tears, deceit, unemployed)’,” hitting the BRS on its major plank on which the struggle for Telangana statehood was based on.
Modi, who addressed two large public meetings, one in Mahbubabad and another in Karimnagar town earlier in the day, also took part in a roadshow in Hyderabad with people lining up the 1.8-km route in thousands, jostling for a glimpse of the Prime Minister amid rapturous chants of “Modi Modi Modi.”
He also targeted Rao for what he called “KCR’s superstitious beliefs”, saying, “KCR is a slave of superstition and as a result, had the Secretariat demolished. His superstitions are such that someone whispered in his ear, ‘If Modi’s shadow falls on you, then all your dreams will be destroyed’. Since that day, he has stayed 50 feet away from me, and hasn’t come to the airport to meet me.”
He then asked: “Can KCR, who is so superstitious, do anything for Telangana that has technology, and youth with modern thoughts?”
The Prime Minister also declared that after coming to power, the BJP government in Telangana would speed up the probe into the Delhi liquor scam’s local angles. “Whether it was the delivery of mobiles or money, every aspect connected to the scam will be brought to light. We will also investigate the corruption in irrigation projects. All that loot by the KCR family and BRS leaders will have to be returned to the people,” he said.
Among the first actions of a BJP government would be to bring down petrol and diesel prices in Telangana, which, he said, were not reduced by the BRS government. “The day the BJP government is formed and when you go to the petrol pump, you will see that the BJP has started working for the people,” he said.
Modi, in his speech in Karimnagar, promised to turn it into a ‘silver city’ by providing modern training, tools, and funds for its famed filigree workers.
Asking people to vote for the BJP, which will give Telangana its first Chief Minister from the BC community, Modi said: “In a bid to get rid of one disease (BRS), do not acquire another (Congress).”
He said Congress and BRS were alike, and if people voted for Congress, then it would mean a vote for BRS.
“There is no guarantee that they (Congress MLAs) will not go BRS. ‘Saara bikao maal bazaar mein hain’. If you do not want KCR, then do not vote for Congress, or they will come back to power through the backdoor. Both parties are synonymous with corruption, dynastic and appeasement politics, something the BJP is not,” he said.
Modi also recalled an earlier statement made by him, saying: “KCR came to meet me in Delhi after realising the increasing strength of the BJP. He has been trying to make friends with the BJP for long. But his overtures were rejected as the BJP will never do anything against the wishes of the people of Telangana. After that, the BRS has become hollow and these days, its own leaders are criticising it. And now, the BRS never leaves an opportunity to abuse me.”
