Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has made it clear that the party has reservations over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as it discriminated against Muslims and that would never be accepted.
Speaking to reporters here, he agreed that the TRS had supported several bills of the BJP government at the Centre, including that on Article 370, but it was against the CAA. “We extended support based on issues.”
On the National Population Register (NPR), he said the TRS government was yet to study its details and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would respond at the right time. The NPR was related to the government and not the party, and only the Chief Minister could take a decision, he said, replying to question whether the party had any doubts over its secret link to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Mr. Rama Rao, who earlier held a meeting with the TRS State executive committee, was confident of sweeping the municipal elections on the basis of its performance over the past six years. Results of all the earlier elections were proof of the party’s development agenda accepted by people and faith in the Chief Minister’s leadership.
Unlike the earlier CMs, KCR had focussed on minute factors related to village development and the success of recent “Palle Pragati” programme showed a new path for the people’s representatives and officials, giving them responsibility and also fixing accountability. The government was releasing ₹ 339 crore a month to all the villages. Similar programme would be held in urban areas, he said.
He said the new Municipal Act paved the way for the TS Building approval system on the lines of the Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-iPASS) Act and all permissions would be given within 21 days without scope for corruption.
The party, he said, was geared to face the elections with 60 lakh party members reaching out to every household. Candidate selection would be de-centralised. The Chief Minister would soon conduct a meeting with MPs, MLAs and MLCs, and other party leaders guiding them on the election strategy.
‘Baseless charge’
KTR rejected the Congress charge that the election schedule favoured the ruling party as the government was yet to release the details of reservation of wards and municipalities, and said the Congress had the habit of blaming TRS for its own failures and lack of confidence. TRS secretary general K. Keshav Rao, Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Satyavathi Rathod and general secretary Palla Rajeshwar Reddy were present.
