Rejecting the allegations of family rule and objecting to state BJP leaders abusing the Chief Minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao, the TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao asked whether the TRS too should stoop down to the level of saying Gujarathis have taken over India.
“The narrative in India is that Gujarathis have taken over India. So should we also abuse Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah like the BJP is doing in Telangana,” he asked. He said freedom of expression has become the right to abuse but the TRS had always maintained some dignity. “We are good people and we don’t react strongly when CM is abused.”
On the TRS targeting the rising fuel prices in its election campaign, he said we want to remind people how Mr. Modi had targetted the UPA government on the rising prices and promised succour to the people if the BJP was voted to power. “Fuel prices are almost doubled,” he said and ridiculed the BJP leaders’ advice to the state governments to reduce their taxes. “So Modi will increase the prices and we should decrease. What kind of logic is this,” he asked.
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Mr. KTR also took objection to the Election Commission of India’s decision to stop Dalita Bandhu till the bypolls were over and felt the Commission has crossed the limits in halting an ongoing scheme. “Anyway, they can’t stop it after the elections,” he said.
TRS cause-based and performance based party
The Municipal Minister said the TRS was a cause-based party and it has turned into a performance party with huge administrative milestones to be emulated by the country within 7 years of its rule. He said though Telangana has 2.5% of the country’s population it contributes 5% of the national GDP. The per capita income in the state has increased from Rs. 1.12 lakhs in 2014 to Rs. 2.27 lakhs now. “Telangana’s money is used for development in other states including the BJP- ruled states,” he said and asked if this was not development.
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Mr. KTR said the government has not held any Investment Conclaves spending huge money like other BJP ruled states but still Telangana has turned into the destination for investments in the country. “We need to publicise these achievements and how KCR has turned into an able-administrator from a strong-agitator. This is a unique quality of strong leadership.”
Reiterating his earlier charges of collusion between the Congress and the BJP, the TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has alleged that Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy and BJP leader Eatala Rajender had met at Golconda resorts.
“If they deny the meeting I am willing to release the pictures,” he said adding what more evidence one needs of their collusion with the sole purpose of defeating the TRS in Huzurabad. However, he clarified that there was no snooping on them but some fans of TRS government had clicked the pictures of their secret meeting.