A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar for his Praja Sangrama Yatra at the Tukkuguda public meeting, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s turn to hail the hard yards put in by the Karimnagar MP during his walkathon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Party sources informed that Mr. Modi had a telephonic conversation with Mr. Sanjay Kumar on Sunday afternoon, as the latter was proceeding towards Khammam to console the family of party worker Sai Ganesh, to pat him for the ‘successful padayatra’ and also to pass on his good wishes to all those who had walked along with him.
The Prime Minister asked the BJP president about the response from people during his programme. Mr. Sanjay Kumar said that there was perceptible anger among people against the KCR regime and they were yearning for “clean development and welfare oriented governance of Modi in TS also.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The MP told Mr. Modi that the entire walkathon was based on the PM’s motto of “development for all” and that has “inspired him to walk 770 km in two phases”. “The TRS government has conspired to deny the benefits of Central government schemes to the people here,” he said.
The participation of Mr. Shah on Saturday and earlier by national president J.P. Nadda has energised the cadre to take part in the forthcoming electoral battles with renewed enthusiasm, said Mr. Sanjay Kumar, according to party sources.
Earlier, talking to the media after visiting Peddamma Temple at Jubilee Hills, he said that the party was studying the representations received during his yatra, where he had seen “many people living in dire poverty and not even having a home”.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We will cut taxes on fuel, ensure there is an annual job calendar to fill up vacant posts, will help farmers in distress, and so on, if our government is formed next. There could be a third phase of the Praja Sangrama Yatra too, as per the people’s wishes,” he said.
‘Don’t split anti-TRS vote’
Meanwhile, senior leader and national OBC president K. Laxman, at a separate press conference on Sunday, appealed to BSP’s R.S. Praveen Kumar, BC leader R. Krishnaiah, Telangana Jana Samithi’s M. Kodandaram and others to ensure that Opposition votes were not split and join hands in bringing down the TRS government in the next elections.
He also took offence to the TRS Ministers and leaders criticising Mr. Shah for his speech at the public meeting. “TRS leaders are indulging in loose talk just to please their boss and CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao. If there is any government which has been indulging in falsehood, it has been this government,” he charged. “The TRS government’s promises made before every election has been kept aside and Telangana people are not going to forgive,” he added.