Hyderabad, April 9: Stating that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has been working hard to make Narender Modi Prime Minister again, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Spokesperson Dr. Dasoju Sravan has made an emotional appeal to the people of Telangana not to get lured with the money, liquor and other freebies being offered by TRS candidates and elect Congress contestants to protect the future of their children.
“You want one liquor quarter worth Rs. 70 for a night being offered by TRS or Rs. 72,000 in your account every year offered by Congress party. One time Biryani being offered by TRS candidates might satisfy your hunger for a night before polling. But Rs. 6,000 in your bank account will help your family every month for the next five years. TRS candidates will go away by buying your vote for just Rs. 2,000. But Congress Government at the Centre will pay Rs. 3.6 lakh in the next five years to nearly 5 crore families in India, including 50 lakh people in Telangana,” Sravan said while addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday.
He said some poor people would spoil the future of their children if they get lured with timely benefits being offered to them by TRS. “While TRS is ridiculing the poor by offering them money and liquor for their votes, Congress is honouring their self respect and conducting a surgical strike on poverty,” he said.
Sravan said that the Congress party, in its manifesto, has promised to fill over 4 lakh vacancies in Central Government by March 2020. It will create 10 lakh Seva Mitra positions in every gram panchayat and urban local body. Nearly 1 Crore jobs will be created through ‘Water Bodies Restoration Mission’ and ‘Wasteland Regeneration Mission’. He said this would directly benefit Telangana and lakhs of vacancies would be filled.
Further, he said that the Congress Government would waive off outstanding farm loans, introduce separate farmers’ budget and loan default would not be ‘criminal offence’. Similarly, as part of women empowerment, he said 33% reservation would be given for women in Assembly and Parliament and they will also get 33% quota in Central Government jobs. He said the government expenditure on healthcare and education would be doubled to 3% of GDP and 6% of GDP respectively by 2023-24. A Right to Healthcare Act will be enacted and free diagnostics services will be given to all citizens.
Sravan described the present elections as historic and decisive for the entire country. He said each and every voter of Telangana could decide the direction in which the politics and country would move in the next five years. Therefore, he said people should cast their vote with a clear conscience. He said there was no difference between the TRS and BJP as both are pursuing anti-people policies. TRS and BJP regimes would be remembered for their arrogant and dictatorial form of governments and neither of them did anything good for the people of Telangana. “People should vote for the Congress party which granted statehood for Telangana and its president Rahul Gandhi has a clear vision for its development. All Congress candidates should be elected as a thanksgiving to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who gave several sacrifices for the formation of Telangana State,” he appealed.
He said that the TRS has won the Assembly elections held in December 2018 by EVM tampering, manipulation of poll processes and other irregularities like deletion of over 22 lakh voters. He said despite winning 88 seats, KCR continued violation of Constitution of India and encouraged defections in opposition parties. “By making MLAs of Congress party defect to TRS, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao challenged and ridiculed the people’s verdict,” he said.
Sravan said TRS has achieved nothing for the Telangana State in the last 5 years. “KCR regime has turned Telangana into a liquor capital. Lakhs of youth remained jobless. Women neither got empowerment nor safety. Not a single problem being faced by the farmers has been resolved. For the same reason, hundreds of farmers have entered the fray in Nizamabad constituency, represented by KCR’s daughter Kavitha, to register their protest. This has proved that KCR’s much hyped ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme was ineffective and it is has not solved any problem,” he said adding that nothing would change for people even if TRS wins all 17 seats in Telangana.
The Congress leader alleged that KCR has been working hard to make Narender Modi Prime Minister again. “Minorities, especially Muslims, are being misled by TRS. They should not get carried away with the onetime Biryani or clothes in Ramzan KCR is offering to the community. Muslims should realise that their vote for TRS will directly help Modi become PM again,” he said.
Sravan alleged that the Chief Minister has sold away TRS tickets to land grabbers, real estate brokers and scamsters on payment for Rs. 100 crore each. “Many TRS candidates have purchased the tickets by spending Rs. 100 crore. Once elected, they will focus on recovering this money, along with the amount they are spending on campaign. They will also earn another Rs. 100 crore for next elections. Therefore, the TRS candidates, if elected, will loot public money of Rs. 300-400 crore in the next five years and will not serve the people,” he said. Therefore, he said people need to decide whom they prefer to elect between corrupt businessmen or those who are loyal to Telangana and its people.
Citing examples, he said TRS Nalgonda candidate Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy has encroached upon the land worth hundreds of crores donated by VIth Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Pasha for an orphanage. He is also facing charges of encroaching upon a prime land by tampering the Survey Numbers. Compared to him, he said Congress candidate and TPCC President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had served the nation as a fighter pilot in Indian Air Force. He has risked his live several times to protec the country.
Similarly, he said Khammam TRS candidate Nama Nageshwara Rao has duped the banks to the tune of hundreds of crores. He alleged that KCR has fielded a habitual bank loan defaulter and an accused in sexual harassment case as TRS candidate from Khammam seat. He said in Mahabubnagar, TRS has neglected Jithender Reddy, who participated in Telangana movement, and gave ticket to Srinivas Reddy by allegedly taking Rs. 100 crore. While TRS Chevella candidate Ranjit Reddy is an outsider and have spent his entire life doing poultry business, Congress candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy and his entire family are known for their contribution in development of Ranga Reddy district, especially Chevella constituency.
He said TRS Malkajgiri candidate Marri Rajashekhar has earned money by commercialisation of education. Similarly, he described Talasani Srinivas Yadav as a betrayer of Telangana movement and said KCR had given a ticket to Talsani’s son Saikiran Yadav from Secunderabad who prime activity is land grabbing and illegal encroachment. In Peddapally, services and contribution of G. Vivek in Telangana formation were neglected and another candidate was given the ticket. He said Telangana protagonists like Seetharam Naik, a professor of Kakatiya University, and Ramachandra Naik were ignored and Maloth Kavitha was made a candidate from Mahabubabad although she was not associated with the statehood movement.
“TRS candidates are real estate brokers, land grabbers bank defaulters or rich businessmen who believes in winning the election by purchasing the votes,” he alleged.
Sravan said Congress leaders were not having money even to bear the basic expenses of party workers. On the other side, he alleged that TRS was spending ill-gotten money on its campaign and also to lure voters.