Amid ear-splitting music and boisterous crowds, Telangana Congress leaders launched their election campaign from Alampur town in Jogulamba Gadwal district, here on Thursday.
Congress leaders, who had earlier reached Gadwal by helicopter, sought the divine intervention of Jogulamba Devi and Sri Balabrahmeshwara ahead of their campaign, by offering prayers at the ‘Shakti Peetham’. Later, they took out an impressive rally from the temple precincts to Alampur crossroads, where they organised a road show. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy defended his remarks calling caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao a ‘batte baaz’ (cheater) and said he is also a ‘dhoke baaz” and the term perfectly fits KCR for failing to fulfil the promises made in the last elections and ‘looting’ public money.
He said in Hyderabadi dialect a habitual liar and cheater is called ‘batte baaz’ “Not a single electoral promise has been fulfilled by KCR. Poor Dalits did not get the promised three acres of land, double bed room houses are forgotten; 12% quota for STs and Muslims remain only on paper and so is the case of job for every household.”
Asserting that people will throw out TRS, Mr. Reddy said Congress will change Telangana by creating jobs, increasing pension and unemployment dole to ₹ 2,000 and ₹ 3,000 respectively, abolishing contributory pension scheme, interest-free loans to women self-help groups up to ₹10 lakh, quality rice with nine other items and much more, all aimed at the welfare of the people.
Failures of TRS Govt.
The TPCC Campaign Committee Chairman Bhatti Vikramarka remarked that their agenda was centred around people’s requirements and necessities. He said the TRS, in the last four years of its rule, had disrespected the people of Telangana by furthering their own agenda of looting the State.
“We will highlight how the TRS government failed to live up to the promises made to the people and expose their true intentions. They are now resorting to spread false propaganda to come to power a second term,” he said .
‘Gift to Sonia’
Hailing Sonia Gandhi for granting statehood to Telangana, the party’s star campaigner Vijayashanti questioned the crowd on their inclination towards the TRS, who, she claimed, had continued the feudal mindset across the State. “Though, we had fought together, the ‘Dora’ seems to have forgotten what Telangana was meant for. People thought, the ‘Dora’ will uphold the self-respect of Telangana but only his family members got respect”.
Vijayashanti urged people not to fall prey to alcohol, which she alleged would be distributed by the TRS during the campaign, and vote for Congress. Senior party leaders S. Jaipal Reddy, K. Jana Reddy, V. Hanumantha Rao, Shabbir Ali, R.C. Khuntia and others also spoke.
