Telugu Desam Party played a key role in creating People’s Front, the Congress-led alliance of TDP, Telangana Jana Samithi and CPI to fight the dictatorial regime of K. Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government, said Telangana State TDP president L. Ramana here on Tuesday.
Though all sections and political parties participated in the Telangana movement, TRS was given the first opportunity to rule the State and fulfil the aspirations of people. But the TRS Chief Minister reduced it to family rule, he said.
Mr. Ramana, who contested nine times and won three times, is not in the fray this time. For Telugu Desam Party, seats and posts were not important. “We are in this election to safeguard democracy, people’s rights, social justice and respect the Constitution,” he asserted.
Speaking at the ‘Meet the Press’ organised by Telangana State Union of Working Journalists, Mr. Ramana said that the TRS conspired to eliminate Telugu Desam in the State. But the TDP flag was flying high in all the 119 constituencies with lakhs of cadre. The People’s Front would come to power and truly reflect the people’s aspirations unlike TRS, he predicted. The People’s Front would release its final Common Minimum Programme on December 4. “This election will be a fight between the four-member family of KCR and four crore people of the State,” he said.
Dismissive of Mr. KCR’s branding of TDP as Andhra party, Mr. Ramana said late N.T. Rama Rao founded Telugu Desam in Hyderabad itself to give political representation for the first time to the poor, SCs, ST, BCs and minorities in the combined State.
The alliance was formed to put an end to new feudalism unleashed by KCR. He governed the State like a dictator in the last four-and-a-half years. There was no respect for SCs, STs, BCs,women and minorities in the State and the representatives of local bodies, MLAs, MLCs, MPs had no value under the TRS rule. He had even closed down the Dharna Chowk taking away the right of people to fight for their issues. These were the same sections of people who fought democratically for separate Telangana State.
Exposing KCR for changing statements overnight to serve his and his family’s selfish interest, Mr. Ramana said that it was Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao who was on record in 2009 to say that it was Mr. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision and hard work that developed IT sector in Hyderabad and created wealth and generated employment. He even invited Mr. Naidu for his Yagnas. Today, he was spreading canards that Mr. Naidu would work against people of Telangana. TDP was now a national party and would strive to protect the interests of Telugu people anywhere, he said.
