Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar   

Karimnagar painted pink

Staff Reporter

Bypoll a referendum on separate Telanagana: KCR

IMPRESSIVE TURNOUT: TRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao waving to people who came in large numbers for the party's public meeting in Karimnagar on Friday. — Photo R. Raju.

KARIMNAGAR: TRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao kicked off the campaign for the by-election to the Karimnagar Parliament constituency on a massive scale by addressing a mammoth gathering at the SRR College Grounds in Karimnagar town on Friday night.

Mr. Rao, who launched his first Telangana Simhagarjana public meeting at the same venue to mark the launch of TRS in 2001, organised the meeting on the same lines by mobilising public from the entire Karimnagar district.

Travelling in an open-top Jeep, KCR took out an impressive rally from Ambedkar stadium to SRR College Grounds traversing through all important streets of the town. Earlier, he offered prayers at a dargah and Shiva temple in town before participating in the rally.

Slogans of "Jai Telangana" rent the air and traditional folk artists led the rally which choked Karimnagar roads. Besides, the bursting of crackers continued from stadium to college grounds causing some concern to the participants.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao launched a scathing attack against the TDP and the Congress for neglecting Telangana. He flayed the district Congress leaders, who had raised `Jai Telangana' slogan in 2004 elections, for remaining silent on the issue. He said that the TDP has no right to seek votes in the Telangana region as it was committed for united Andhra Pradesh.

He said that the elections in Karimnagar were not for the district alone but for entire 3.5 crore people of Telangana region. "It is a referendum for the formation of Telangana State," he pointed out and appealed to the voters to elect TRS with a thumping majority.

Flaying the Congress leaders for talking about development of Telangana, he said that "development is the civil right of Telangana people and separate Telangana their birth right." He said that the people of Telangana were paying more taxes to the Government than other parts of the State and it was mandatory on the part of the Government to take up development works in the region.

He also highlighted the welfare schemes initiated in the district, particularly for beedi workers, which included housing scheme, scholarships to their children, PF office in Karimnagar etc. He flayed the Health Ministry for instructing the beedi companies to print danger mark on beedi packs. He also alleged that the Government obstructed the ambitious comprehensive drinking water scheme to Karimnagar district.

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