K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: Launching a sharp attack against the BJP, BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday accused the saffron party of triggering a 'religious madness' for political gains and misusing Central agencies like the ED to intimidate opposition leaders.
Rao, who addressed a BRS rally for Lok Sabha polls at Chevella near here, also hit out at the Congress government in Telangana for its alleged failure to implement its election promises and to ensure uninterrupted supply of water and electricity.
"The BJP has been in power for 10 years... Except raising emotions and triggering a religious madness, did a single good work happened during the BJP regime for any section of society or poor," Rao, also known as KCR, asked.
"What is happening in the country today? You will join our party (BJP) or go to jail? Either Modi or ED? Is this BJP? Is this politics? Is this the way to take the country forward? Is this the way to destroy democracy everywhere? You have to think about it. We should not vote blindly," the former chief minister said.
The BJP-led government at the Centre, during the last 10 years, sanctioned 157 medical colleges in the country but did not set up even a single medical college in Telangana though he had written '100 letters' to the Centre in this regard when he was chief minister, he claimed.
The NDA government also did not establish Navodaya schools in Telangana after the formation of new districts in the state, he said.
Attacking the government further, he claimed that a union minister had commented that Telangana people should eat broken rice when BRS leaders sought the Centre to purchase the paddy produced in the state.
"You have to decide whether we should vote for BJP that has asked us to eat broken rice," he said.
The NDA government (in 2014) handed over seven mandals of Telangana and also the Sileru power project to Andhra Pradesh (at the time of bifurcation of undivided AP), he said.
It also did not implement the assurances made to Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act like establishment of a steel plant and railway coach factory, he added.
Hitting out at the ruling Congress government in the state, Rao said during his previous tenure, he had implemented 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme (grant of Rs 10 lakh per family) and the Congress had promised Rs 12 lakh per family ahead of the assembly elections last year.
Alleging that the state government is not implementing the scheme now, he threatened to undertake a protest at the Ambedkar statue near state Secretariat with the 1.30 lakh beneficiaries who have been sanctioned the Dalit Bandhu benefit during the BRS regime to ensure that they receive the fund.
Charging that power and water shortage are the order of the day due to the inefficiency of the Congress government, Rao said a strong opposition is essential to make the government implement its promises.
"Only if you whip a hunter, all your works will be done. Otherwise, they (ruling Congress) will say that people have made them victorious though they did not do anything for people... That's why BRS should win. It (BRS) should act like an elephant goad," he said.
Rao, who asserted that he would fight for Telangana people as long as he is alive, said Congress had promised 'Scootys' (two wheelers) to girls. "There are no scootys but loot is going on with speed in the state," he claimed.
Referring to the alleged comments of a person that backward classes 'if they have guts' should make BRS candidate Kasani Gyaneshwar win the Chevella seat, he appealed to the 'backward class intellectuals, students and employees' that Gyaneshwar's victory is a step ahead for the progress of backward classes.
"I urge you should prove what is the power and political awareness of BCs by making Kasani Gyaneshwar victorious," he said.
Gyaneshwar is a senior leader who belongs to the backward classes.
BRS had won nine of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in 2019. Stung by its defeat in the Legislative Assembly elections held in November, 2023, the BRS is making a determined effort to bounce back in the 2024 general elections.