As expected, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was non-committal on advancing elections to the State Assembly but announced that he will deliver a political decision at the right time soon.
Referring to reports on likelihood of early elections, Mr. Rao asked a huge crowd at the party rally at Kongar Kalan on the outskirts of the City on Sunday evening to trust him to take a decision in the best interests of the State. He recalled that his Council of Ministers, parliamentary and legislature parties of the TRS beside its State executive had authorised him to take the decision as he deemed fit and appealed to people to bless him in continuing the good work of the TRS government over the last four years.
Mr. Rao who went into political aspects towards the end of his hour-long speech recalled that media reports speculated announcements by him on Sunday about new welfare schemes. But, they would be included in the election manifesto of TRS to be drafted by a committee headed by parliamentary party leader K.Keshava Rao. “It is unethical on my part to be making any fresh announcements now”.
Giving credence to what was on his mind, Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi in a circular earlier in the day, soon after a cabinet meeting, informed the special chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries, including those in the General Administration Department, that the next meeting of the State Cabinet will be held “very shortly”. The officials concerned were requested to send the proposals approved in circulation for the consideration of the Cabinet on or before September 4 by 3 p.m.
Mr. Rao referred to people’s voice as reflected in social media posts wanting his return to power and said it was a result of the government striving for the development of the State right from its initial days. The government finalised 47 programmes in the maiden meeting of the Cabinet and implemented them within a month. “It requires courage to go to people saying I will not seek your votes nor contest elections if I cannot give you purified water.” This was the promise that he made to people and he stuck to it, he said.
The TRS president was particularly critical of the Congress claiming that the party’s affairs would be dictated by the “Delhi empire” though he did not directly name the party. The TRS was particular that the matters of Telangana were not dictated by the “Delhi empire” and the party was firm that it would not allow the State to become subservient to powers in Delhi. “We should follow the Tamil Nadu model where the Tamils alone decide the model of governance,” he said. The government was committed to take steps to further enhance revenue and resource generation to ensure that the growth momentum continued and the benefits were distributed among the people.
He said the government made significant strides in the past four-and-a-half years. But there was more to achieve. The mission for which Telangana secured its statehood would be completed only after the goal of green Telangana where poverty eradication was complete and ample opportunities were provided to unemployed youth. The growth achieved in the past few years should be maintained and there should be no scope for curtailing it.
About 2,000 villages in the State have already got the water and the remaining 1,300 villages will get it in a week. Though the government had another six months for the expiry of its term, it was well on course to complete the project — Mission Bhagiratha — before Diwali.
People in large number gathered at the venue utilising all the available means of transport and arrival of the convoys of vehicles continued well after the commencement of the Chief Minister’s address. A majority of the people who descended on the venue from the morning waited patiently till Mr. Rao completed his close to 50 minute address.
