In a Facebook post in Hindi on the anniversary of the launch of Quit India Movement, Gandhi said the movement which started from the then Bombay on August 8, 1942, had given sleepless nights to the British | File Image

Rahul Gandhi calls KCR a ‘raja’ who betrayed Telangana

The Federal
7 May 2022 3:04 PM GMT

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a blistering attack on the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the BJP, accusing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of corruption and the BJP of being hand-in-glove with TRS to keep the Congress away from power.

The BJP is ‘remote-controlling’ the TRS and a vote for the TRS means a vote for the BJP, the Congress MP said, reports NDTV. The state is “not ruled by a Chief Minister but a raja (king),” he said adding that the assembly elections in the state next year will be a direct fight between the Congress and the ruling TRS, the report added.

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Launching the poll battle for his party in Telangana, he targeted KCR saying one person has destroyed the “dream of Telangana” which the Congress imagined would be a ‘model state’ when it was formed. “We want to focus on education, health and employment,” he said.

“Telangana was not given to benefit just one family,” he said, adding that the Congress cannot compromise with a party that has ‘betrayed’ Telangana, NDTV report said.

This is Rahul’s first public appearance since he went abroad in early April.

Promises to help farmers

Rahul Gandhi had on Friday in Warangal attacked the TRS government on issues concerning farmers. He promised loan waivers to farmers and said they will get fair and accurate Minimum Support Prices. He promised Rs 15,000 per acre direct transfer and a plan to replace the present Rythu Bandhu scheme. Named the Warangal declaration, the party announced a series of pro-farmer initiatives, NDTV reported.

Other promises that Rahul made to the farmers if his party wins included Rs 12,000 per annum assistance to landless labourers registered with MGNREGA, Rythu Commission and better and remunerative prices.

Preparing for poll battle

The Telangana Congress is hoping Rahul Gandhi’s visit will give the party much needed momentum ahead of the assembly elections next year. His visit comes a day after BJP president JP Nadda addressed a huge public meeting in Mahbubnagar saying that Telangana was ready for a change and would choose the double engine government of the BJP.

In the last assembly polls, the BJP won a single assembly, the TRS won 88 and the Congress 19. However, the BJP has won two recent polls in the state.

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