Congress is permanent enemy of Telangana, says CM KCR

The chief minister cautioned people against falling prey to false promises from Congress leaders, and reminded them how the Congress had destroyed Telangana by merging it with Andhra.

Hyderabad: Calling the Congress a permanent enemy of Telangana, BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday cautioned people against falling prey to false promises from Congress leaders, and reminded them how the Congress had destroyed Telangana by merging it with Andhra and later, discriminated against it in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, all the while exploiting its resources.

“If the Congress comes to power, the party leaders themselves are pledging to scrap Dharani and throw it into the Bay of Bengal. Farmers, who have become millionaires under the BRS rule, will be thrown into the Arabian Sea with the Congress making their lives miserable again,” he said, addressing massive gatherings at Bodhan, Nizamabad (Urban) and Yellareddy on Wednesday.

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Chandrashekhar Rao reminded the people that Telangana was a prosperous State during the Nizam era and the Kakatiya rule, when numerous water bodies were developed across the State. The erstwhile Hyderabad State, after being annexed into India, had prospered on multiple fronts. But the Congress merged Hyderabad State with Andhra against the wishes of people of Telangana, raising the curtains for 58 years of discrimination and injustice for Telangana.

“Over 400 people were killed during the 1969 movement by the Congress regime, which was also responsible for the demise of scores of youth who sacrificed their lives in the final phase of the movement. The Congress is solely responsible for all the woes of Telangana,” he said, adding how the Congress had betrayed the people of Telangana for nearly 15 years after promising to create the new State.

Comparing the ten years of BRS rule with the 50 years of Congress, Chandrashekhar Rao credited the BRS for rejuvenating projects like Nizam Sagar, enhancing agricultural prospects and water availability in the region. Congress candidate P Sudharshan Reddy from Bodhan had served as an Irrigation Minister in the Congress regime, did not get a single paise for the development of Nizamabad, Bodhan or Banswada.

“The Nizam Sagar project was constructed by the Nizams long ago where thousands of acres of land was irrigated in Banswada, Bodhan and the entire Nizamabad district. But under the Congress rule, the project dried up and water from Singur project was diverted to Hyderabad for drinking water. Nizam Sagar farmers faced many problems without lack of irrigation facilities. After the BRS came to power, the Nizam Sagar project was revived by linking it to Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. Thousands of acres of land are now being irrigated, reviving the district’s past glory,” he said.

The BRS government took multiple measures, right from Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima to uninterrupted power supply, removed water cess and also brought the Dharani portal for stabilising agriculture in Telangana. Even people from Maharashtra were now asking for the BRS to be in power in their State or to merge the Dharmabad Taluk with Telangana, so that the people there could enjoy these farmer-friendly schemes. Not just in Maharashtra, but nowhere else in the country were such pro-farmer initiatives being implemented, he pointed out.

The BRS president slammed Congress leaders for their comments on supplying three hours of electricity.

“Neither Karnataka, Gujarat nor Maharashtra are providing electricity round the clock. Telangana is the only State which is supplying uninterrupted and quality power for free. There are beedi workers in 16 States. Not even a single Chief Minister thought of giving pensions to them, but we are giving pensions which will be increased upto Rs 5,000 in a phased manner,” he said.

Taking a strong stance against the Congress proposal to abolish the Dharani land registration system, he said this would trigger a return to the old registration system which would endanger the lands of the farmers and revive corruption. He urged farmers to consider the adverse impact on their livelihoods, if the Congress is voted to power.