KCR hints at early polls

​Hyderabad: Indicating early elections for Assembly by stating that the TRS will announce candidates in September, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday said that his party was ready for elections any time. Addressing a press conference after the TRS State executive committee meeting at Telangana Bhavan here, Chandrashekar Rao said the TRS would not have any alliance with any party.

He said he would present the progress report at the biggest ever public meeting to be held on September 2 in 1,500 acres on the outskirts of the city. The meeting, ‘Pragathi Nivedana Sabha,’ where the party would explain what the government has done for the people during the last four years.

He, however, did not disclose whether the Assembly would be dissolved after the announcement of the candidates. “How can I tell whether Assembly will be dissolved? Do you think I will say this here? Even the Cabinet Ministers don’t know about it,” said Rao when asked about possibility of dissolving the Assembly. He said, the party committees including the constituency in-charge secretaries would be active in the district from now onwards.

The Chief Minister took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for stating that there was family rule in Telangana State. He said his family rule was better than Rahul Gandhi’s, and added that there was nothing wrong in that. “Rahul should grow up... I wish that he would grow up otherwise he will lose his respect. Rahul Gandhi is day by day becoming an asset for the opposition parties. Somebody said I will be afraid of Rahul Gandhi. 

What is the need for me to be afraid of him? Fight the battle and win. Let us go to the people,” said Rao. The Chief Minister reiterated that the TRS would get more than 100 seats in the elections. “We have taken up six to seven surveys and we are 101 per cent sure, TRS is going to form the government with more than 100 seats,” said Rao. He said that the people were not ready to accept the supremacy of Delhi and NTR (former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao) had demolished it long back. 

The Chief Minister asked the Congress president not to speak lies. “Rahul says TRS promised 27 lakh houses but the TRS had promised to construct 2.65 lakh houses. Rahul also says not even 5,000 houses were constructed. Let him come, our officials will take him to Qutbullahpur where thousands of houses are being constructed. We have almost filled one lakh jobs as promised,” said Rao. He said that the Congress doesn’t have strength to come in power. 

Can the Congress leaders say that they would get 20 Lok Sabha seat in a State, he asked. He also took exception to the Rahul Gandhi’s hug to Prime Minister Modi. He said that who needs the hug. Are there only two leaders in the country, he asked. The Chief Minister said that Rs 2 lakh loan waiver was not possible in one go. 

He said the Congress supported government in Karnataka. He said that if that was possible why the Congress party could not do it in Punjab. He said that the revenue resources for Telangana was Rs 10,500 crore and if R 2 lakh loan waiver to be given at one go, the government will have to do nothing for at least one year. Regarding the unemployed allowance promise, Rao asked as to what the criterion was for defining the unemployed and how many would be getting the benefit.

The Chief Minister also targeted the government at the Centre. Rao said that he had told the people at Centre that it was a matter of shame that during the last four and a half years nothing remarkable had been done. He also said that he had opposed Aayushmaan Bharat of Centre proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the State had better scheme than the Centre’s. 

He said that the Centre had sought the software of the State implemented scheme and he had agreed to give it on condition that the Centre accepted the States scheme name. He said that the TRS government would not continue schemes like Abhaya Hastham, Bangaru Talli, which are brought just before the elections. The Rythu Beema scheme is superior to the Centre’s insurance scheme, he added.

Rao said that the Federal Front was still on and it will be a non-Congress and non-BJP front. He said that the two national parties have failed miserably and added that a strong foundation was being laid for the Federal Front. He said that he would soon meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.  He said that the party voted for the candidate supported by the BJP for the post Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha because Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had requested for it and no other party had come up with such request.  

The Chief Minister said that in the coming five years Rs 50,000 crore would be spent on Hyderabad, when asked when Hyderabad would become Singapore. Replying to a question, Rao said that the issue of suspension of D Srinivas was pending and decision would be taken by the party. He lashed out at former Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy and asked him to be decent. 

The party adopted nine resolutions including implementation of assurances under AP Reorganisation Act, providing MSP of Rs 2,000 for paddy and corn, linking of NREGA with agriculture, providing 12 per cent reservations to Muslims and STs by including the reservations under Schedule 9 on the lines of Tamil Nadu, having separate ministry in the Centre.