BRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday accused Congress candidates of seeking votes by claiming they would join the BRS after getting elected.
Addressing a rally here, in a predominantly coal mining area, he also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that coal will be imported from the Adani Group’s coal mines in Australia, ignoring the state-run Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).
He alleged that due to the inefficiency of previous Congress regimes, the State Government had been compelled to sell a 49 per cent stake in SCCL.
“Congress candidates having realising that defeat is certain, have started a new campaign. They are asking people to elect them so that after winning they can join the BRS,” Rao alleged.
Attacking the BJP, he said why would you vote for the saffron party which has not sanctioned a single medical college or a Navodaya School in Telangana. “A vote for them is like dropping your vote in sewage,” he said.
He said it was the Congress party that merged Telangana with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, which led to 50 years of suffering.
He slammed the grand old party, accusing it of delaying the formation of Telangana.
He said 50 years of Congress had led to suicides and migrations and as many as 400 people were shot dead during the Telangana agitation for statehood in 1969.
On the Singareni mines, he said, “We provided several amenities to Singareni employees. The Telangana assembly also passed a resolution requesting the Centre to waive income tax for Singareni employees.
"But (PM) Modi is not doing so and instead calling for Singareni to be closed and its output to be replaced by imported coal from Adani (mines) in Australia,” he said.
After the BRS came to power, 15,000 jobs were created in the SCCL, he said.
Listing welfare measures being implemented by the BRS government, Rao said he came up with the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme for the first time in the country, and increased old age pensions from ₹200 in the previous Congress regime to ₹1,000 per month and subsequently to ₹2000.
He promised to increase it to ₹5,000 gradually.
He said Congress leaders say that KCR is wasting taxpayers' money by granting Rythu Bandhu investment support to farmers.
“If you elect BRS candidates, not only will Rythu Bandhu continue but the amount will also increased to Rs 16,000 gradually,” he promised.
He also reiterated allegations that Telangana PCC President Revanth Reddy has said that 24-hours of free power for farmers is a waste and just three hours is enough.
Congress leaders also say that when they come to power, Dharani will be "dumped in the Bay of Bengal", he told the crowd.
