Congress will get absolute majority: Ponnala

“The question post-poll tie-up doesn’t arise”

April 21, 2014 04:27 pm | Updated November 27, 2021 06:54 pm IST - Hyderabad:

Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

The Congress will form government in the new State of Telangana. “It will come to power with absolute majority,” declared TPCC president, Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

He refused to entertain hypothetical questions about the Congress having tie-up with the TRS if it fell short of the magic figure.

“The question doesn’t arise. We are going to win with good majority,” Mr. Lakshmaiah remarked during the “Meet the media” programme organised by the Telangana English Journalists Association (TEJA) here on Sunday.

Accusing the TRS leader K. Chandrashekhar Rao, of being a ‘liar’, Mr. Lakshmaiah said he would not be able to realise his dreams. He ridiculed Mr. Rao for taking credit for the formation of Telangana and said it was the Congress under Sonia Gandhi which deserved credit. He recalled how the BJP tried to scuttle the Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha by introducing impracticable amendments. But Congress stood like a rock and ensured the passage of the Bill.

Tracing the history of Telangana struggle, Mr. Lakshmaiah said it was a six decade old movement. Even before the formation of Andhra Pradesh the demand for separate Telangana was there. It was in 1999 that Sonia Gandhi initiated the process by writing to the then Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, to facilitate formation of Telangana. But under pressure from the Telugu Desam, the BJP led NDA refused to consider the demand.

Stating that KCR did not have the inherent urge for separate Telangana, Mr Lakshmaiah asked where he was all these years. “When the millennium march took place he was resting in his farm house,” the TPCC leader remarked.

“Dismal track record” Mr. Lakshmaiah tore into KCR by referring to his “dismal track record” in Lok Sabha. During entire term of KCR, he had taken part in debates only twice and they had nothing to do with Telangana issue.

In February 2011 he spoke on the Constitution of JPC on policy and allocation of 2 G spectrum and in November the same year on the issue of assault on a Minister. The attendance of KCR in Parliament was just 13 per cent as against the national average of 76 per cent while he raised zero questions. “This shows that he was never a responsible representative,” Mr. Lakshmiah said.

He criticised the TRS leader over his talk of reconstruction of Telangana. “Does he know the meaning of reconstruction,” asked Mr. Lakshmiah and said the region was advanced in many areas.

Five point programme The TRS leader was targeting him as he had nothing to speak about in his public meetings. “But I go to people with a record of achievement”, Mr. Lakshmaiah said.

The Congress, he said, had a five point programme: stable government, good governance, social participation, self respect and golden Telangana. The Congress had a vision and realised the aspiration of people. “We don’t need to learn from anybody least of all from KCR,” the TPCC leader remarked.

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