Hyderabad: In his first public appearance in several months, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR, launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, calling it “Enemy no. 1 of Telangana.”
He dismissed speculation about the BRS attempting to overthrow the ruling government, stating that the party has no intention of pulling down the Revanth Reddy-led administration before the end of its term. “Let the people of Telangana witness and compare the work done by our party and the present government,” KCR said, amid thunderous applause.
On his being away from active politics, the veteran politician said he wanted to give the Congress government time and watch how they fulfilled their election promises. “Enough time has been given. It is time to ask questions and take accountability,” he declared.
“The Congress government has failed in all aspects, from providing uninterrupted drinking water and power supply to giving farmers financial assistance, seeds and fertilisers to farmers, procurement of paddy, and development in rural and urban Telangana,” he said.
KCR also said that the Mahalakshmi scheme of giving free rides to poor women in TGSRTC buses was a useless scheme, which was leading to women grabbing each other by their hair and fighting for seats.
On the ongoing issue surrounding the 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli near the Hyderabad Central University (HCU), KCR commented on the lack of awareness of selling land. “It is a common practice by governments to sell land, which would ultimately benefit their citizens. But the government should be aware of what land it is selling in the name of development. This state government does not seem to have that sense,” KCR said.
He also spoke about the Hyderabad Disaster Response Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA), stating that poor people are being targeted by the organisation. “The current government is targeting them through HYDRAA by demolishing their houses. When we were in power, lakhs of people residing in huts and kacha houses were provided with pattas,” he claimed.
On the recent Telangana police crackdown regarding alleged fake news generated by the BRS social media team, KCR warned them to take their next steps with caution. “Why are you concerned about politics? What are you jumping for? Mark my words, no force can stop the BRS from coming to power next time,” he said.
Halt ‘Operation Kagaar’ immediately says KCR
KCR demanded that the BJP-led Central government immediately halt the large-scale violence against Maoists and Adivasis in the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border areas under the guise of Operation Kagaar. “Just because you have power, you cannot go on killing them indiscriminately. Create a democratic space and invite them for talks. Let the people hear what they have to say,” KCR said.
He further announced that the BRS would pass a resolution and send it to the Centre, urging an immediate end to Operation Kagaar. Reminding party workers that the inception of BRS was to work for Telangana, KCR urged them to keep working for the welfare of the people, whether in government or in Opposition.
Before the beginning of his speech, KCR paid homage to the 26 lives lost in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam terror attack by observing a minute of silence.
KCR and BRS history
The BRS (earlier Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS) was founded by KCR in 2001 after he quit the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which once ruled the erstwhile joint Andhra Pradesh which was bifurcated in 2014. Since 2001, KCR championed the cause for a separate Telangana. The sudden demise of ex-AP CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy allowed KCR to intensify his demands and he also undertook a fast unto death in 2009.
Telangana was eventually bifurcated in 2014 and KCR became its first chief minister. His party won a second time in 2018, and the BRS virtually ran a state without any major opposition in the Assembly as KCR engineered defections to the BRS during both his terms as CM. The BRS finally lost the 2023 state elections, with the Congress coming to power and Revanth Reddy becoming the first person from the grand old party to become the CM.
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