Era of regional parties to dawn soon: CM KCR

The BRS president pointed out that neither the Congress nor the BJP had ever raised the issues of Telangana or shouldered the Telangana movement. 

Hyderabad: Stating that the people were vexed with national parties like the Congress and the BJP, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday said the era of regional parties was about to soon dawn in India. Regional parties understand the pain and problems of their regions and work accordingly to address them.

“KCR always speaks truth. Mark my words. The era of regional parties is about to dawn across India in the near future. Only the regional parties can safeguard the interests of their respective States and their people,” he said while addressing massive gatherings at the Praja Ashirvada Sabha public meetings at Khammam and Kothagudem.

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The BRS president pointed out that neither the Congress nor the BJP had ever raised the issues of Telangana or shouldered the Telangana movement.

“When we led the Telangana movement, they insulted us. They shot some of us dead and put others in jails, but never shared the love for our land. Their actions are based on the switch in Delhi. Should we elect these Delhi slaves and become slaves again or govern our State ourselves with self-respect? It is time for the people to decide,” he said, triggering a massive roar of applause.

Chandrashekhar Rao reiterated the need for a mature democracy for a progressive nation. He urged the voters not to get confused by impractical promises, false propaganda, lies or abusive language used by some political parties and their candidates. He asked them to instead examine the ideologies of each political party and their leader before voting for the party which would understand local issues and would strive to address them.

“The Congress ruled the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh for over 50 years, but did nothing for Telangana. The BJP made no contribution for the newly formed Telangana State. But the BRS, which came to power after State formation, has been addressing the issues plaguing the State – power, water and poverty – all in a phased manner,” he said, asking people to compare the five decades of the Congress rule against the 10 years of the BRS regime.

Stating that the BRS would return to power for the third term and complete the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme over the next couple of years to end the water woes of erstwhile Khammam district forever, he said Opposition parties had always treated the Dalits as vote banks. The BRS government, on the other hand, had launched Dalit Bandhu for their empowerment. The State government had also issued podu land pattas to tribals and extended Rythu Bandhu benefits to them.

Chandrashekhar Rao reminded that under the Congress rule, many areas in the erstwhile Khammam witnessed groundwater level depleting with borewells being required to dug up for 600-800 feet unsuccessfully. However, after the BRS government was formed, multiple measures were initiated which recharged the groundwater in Telangana, while the rest of the nation was witnessing a decline in groundwater levels. “According to the Central government, about 739 TMC of groundwater has been recharged in Telangana which is equal to water stored in two Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs,” he said.

On development of Kothagudem, the Chief Minister said under the BRS regime, Kothagudem town witnessed significant growth with wide roads, central lighting system and other development works. He assured to complete works pertaining to protection of flood-prone areas in Kothagudem from Murredu stream, for which funds have been already allocated. Besides establishment of new government medical colleges in both Khammam and Kothagudem, the State government also set up an IT Tower in Khammam.

Chandrashekhar Rao appreciated Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar for developing Khammam town with Rs.100 crore, striking a fine balance between public amenities and beautification. He stated that the road network of Khammam town increased from 400 km to 1,115 km, while the drainage network was augmented from 205 km to 1,592 km. He reminded that Khammam town, which once witnessed street fights for drinking water, now had 75,000 household drinking water connections.