Mancherial (Telangana): BRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday accused the Congress party candidates of seeking votes saying they will join BRS after getting elected.
Addressing a rally here, in a predominantly coal mining area, he also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is saying that coal will be imported from Adani Group’s coal mines in Australia, keeping aside the state-run Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).
He alleged that due to the inefficiency of earlier Congress rulers, the state government had to sell off 49 per cent stake in SCCL.
“Now Congress people, after realising that their defeat is certain, have started a new campaign. They are asking people to elect them so that after winning they will go and join the BRS. I got the news. Somehow they wanted to win,” Rao alleged.
Attacking the BJP, he asked people why they should vote for the saffron party which has not given a single medical college or a Navodaya School to Telangana. “A vote for them is like dropping it in drainage,” he mocked.
He said it was the Congress party that merged Telangana with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, resulting in suffering for 50 years.
He slammed the grand old party, accusing it of delaying the formation of Telangana despite assurances.
He said the 50 years of Congress rule was fraught with suicides and migrations and as many as 400 people were shot dead during the Telangana agitation for separate statehood in 1969.
Speaking about the the Singareni mines, he said, “We provided several facilities to Singareni employees. Telangana assembly also passed a resolution requesting the Centre to waive off income tax to Singareni employees.
“But (PM) Modi is not doing it and on top of that he says you close Singareni and we will import coal from Adani (mines) in Australia,” he charged.
After BRS came to power, about 15,000 jobs were given in SCCL, he said.
Listing out some of the welfare measures being implemented by the BRS government, Rao said it was he who came up with the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme for the first time in the country, and increased old age pensions from Rs 200 in the previous Congress regime to Rs 1,000 per month and subsequently to Rs 2000.
He promised to increase it to Rs 5,000 gradually.
He said Congress leaders are saying that KCR is wasting taxpayers’ money by granting Rythu Bandhu investment support to farmers.
“If you elect BRS candidates, not only Rythu Bandhu will be continued but also the amount under it will be increased to Rs 16,000 gradually,” he promised.
He also reiterated his allegations that Telangana PCC President Revanth Reddy says that 24-hour free power given to farmers is a waste and just three hours is enough.
Congress leaders also say that when they come to power, Dharani will be “dumped in the Bay of Bengal”, he reminded the crowd.
