Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, were working together to ensure that their parties remain in power in the state and the Centre, PTI reported.
Gandhi made the remark during rallies in Telangana, which goes to the polls on December 7. He pointed out that Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi had backed the National Democratic Alliance’s nominees in the presidential and vice presidential elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party leads the alliance.
“KCR has never criticised Modi directly in any speech,” Gandhi said in Gadwal, according to the Hindustan Times. “He is functioning under the remote control of Modi only with a fear that if he opposed Modi, his corrupt practices would get exposed. That is why the TRS has transformed into Telangana RSS.”
At another public meeting in Tandur, the Congress president alleged that the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen was also supporting Modi indirectly. Gandhi claimed the Telangana government had promised to make the state “Bangaru Telangana [Golden Telangana]” but had made only Rao’s family a “Bangaru Kutumbam [Golden family]”.
“Telangana, which had a revenue surplus of Rs 17,000 crore when it was formed, is now reeling under severe debts to the extent of Rs 2 lakh crore,” Gandhi claimed. “Each family is now facing a debt burden of Rs 1.50 lakh, while the wealth of KCR family increased by 400%.”
Earlier in the day, the Congress president urged the people of the state not to be fooled by Modi, Rao and Owaisi. He tweeted that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was the BJP’s “B team”. “TRS is the BJP’s B team and KCR operates as Mr Modi’s Telangana Rubber Stamp. Owaisi’s, AIMIM is the BJP’s ‘C’ team, whose role is to split the anti-BJP/KCR vote. Great people of Telangana, Modi, KCR and Owaisi are one. They speak in twisted tongues. Do not be fooled by them!”
The Congress is contesting the elections in the state in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party, the Communist Party of India and the Telangana Jana Samithi.
Congress and TRS are two sides of the same coin: Modi
In a public meeting in Hyderabad, Modi said people of the state should reject the discrimination that occurs on the basis of caste and dynastic politics. “Before the elections in Karnataka, the Congress repeatedly said Janata Dal [Secular] is BJP’s B team, but we all know what happened after elections,” the prime minister said. “The same thing could happen in Telangana. Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi are two sides of the same coin.”
Modi said the state has not developed because of the TRS government. “Atal ji [former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee] created three states, all of which are rapidly progressing today,” he added. “What is the reason that upon division with Andhra Pradesh, Telangana could not prosper? We are committed to take the state to newer heights guided by the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ [together, development for all].”
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