Khammam sees CM KCR launching a new resistance

Stating that Modi’s Make in India slogan had now become a ‘joke in India’, Chandrashekhar Rao said 2024 would see Modi going home, and the BRS going to Delhi

Khammam: Signaling the beginning of a new collective resistance against the ‘anti-people, anti-democratic policies’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s first public meeting at Khammam on Wednesday saw BRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao bringing together five major political parties on a non-BJP, non-Congress platform for the first time.

Four Chief Ministers including Chandrashekhar Rao, and a former Chief Minister apart from D Raja representing the Communist Party of India (CPI), took the stage and exposed the BJP-led Centre’s failures on multiple fronts, apart from stressing on the need to put up a united fight to dethrone the BJP government. The meeting also saw the Delhi and Punjab Chief Ministers announcing that Telangana’s Kanti Velugu would be emulated in their States.

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Extending their support to the BRS and Chandrashekhar Rao in his endeavor to transform India, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and CPI national secretary D Raja hauled the BJP over the coals for its undemocratic and anti-people approach.

Chandrashekhar Rao, who said the sole agenda of the BRS was development of the country, reiterated that the Telangana Model of development would be extended across the country, which would mean free power to the farming sector, extension of Dalit Bandhu to 25 lakh families annually and ensuring drinking water across the country through Mission Bhagiratha. Slamming the Centre for selling PSUs, he said Modi’s policy was privatization while that of the BRS was nationalization.

“Let the Modi government sell LIC and Visakha Steel Plant. We will reclaim them as PSUs,” he said, also announcing that the BRS would scrap the Agnipath scheme and restore the former system of recruitment into the Armed Forces.

Stating that Modi’s Make in India slogan had now become a ‘joke in India’, Chandrashekhar Rao said 2024 would see Modi going home, and the BRS going to Delhi, triggering thunderous applause from the five lakh-strong gathering at V Venkatayapalem.

Vijayan, congratulating the Chief Minister for his leadership in improving governance and delivering public service simultaneously to offer better living standards to the people of Telangana, cited the integrated collectorate complex concept and said decentralization was hallmark of the KCR regime. Vijayan, who also lauded the Kanti Velugu programme, calling it a first in the history of India, said a peculiar situation was prevailing in the country, with political parties that were not part of the freedom struggle being at the helm of affairs at the Centre now. “Those in power at the Centre do not value or believe in sovereignty, democracy and socialist principles, which are the basic tenets of the Indian Constitution, he said,” adding that the Khammam meeting was the beginning of a new resistance and a fight to save democracy.

Impressed with Kanti Velugu, Kejriwal said the programme would be replicated in Delhi. “As States, we need to learn from each other and not fight against each other. This will facilitate in the development of nation,” he said, stressing that it was time to dethrone the Modi government for its lack of commitment and vision.

“For the first time, a new hope is taking shape with a few Chief Ministers discussing development and not politics. All through our meeting today, we discussed on measures for improving education, health and farming sectors,” Kejriwal said.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s campaign that 400 days were left for parliamentary elections, Akhilesh Yadav said it meant only 399 days were left for the BJP to be ousted from power.

“When a government is counting days, that indicates its end,” he said, also praising Chandrashekhar Rao’s measures to address unemployment and getting investments. Unfortunately, in Uttar Pradesh, investor meets were conducted only to mislead people, especially the youth, he said.

“If Telangana is sweeping the BJP away from power, let me assure you that UP will not lag behind in this endeavor,” Yadav said, eliciting cheers and whistles from the gathering.

Complimenting Chandrashekhar Rao for the reconstruction of the Yadadri temple, he said: “KCR saab works more but does not talk much. There are a few others, who work less and talk a lot,” he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the BJP had sold out many PSUs and procured only the media. Citing the Delhi Municipal elections results, he said the saffron party was more focused on dethroning democratically elected governments.

Raja, pointing out that some governors of non-BJP ruling States were meddling with the elected governments, said the BJP wanted to impose a unitary system and change India into a single dimensional country. Khammam, the revolutionary centre of Telangana, would sound the end of the BJP-RSS combine with the 2023 elections, he said.