Telangana Congress leaders hit out at TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao for describing Rahul Gandhi as a political tourist and asked whether his father and CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao was also a political tourist when he visited various states for starting a political front.
Presenting a united face of the Congress at a press conference here, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior leaders like J. Geetha Reddy and Shabbir Ali asked KTR to explain in what capacity he had criticised Mr. Rahul Gandhi while questioning his capacity on announcing slew of sops for Telangana farmers at Warangal.
“Mr. Rahul Gandhi is a national leader and former president of AICC and if you are questioning his credentials what are your credentials to speak about a leader like Rahul Gandhi,” asked Mr. Revanth Reddy. “KCR can go to other states for political reasons and if you consider Rahul Gandhi as a political tourist it shows your immaturity,” he said.
Mr. Reddy further said KCR’s family has no right or stature to criticise the Gandhi family that sacrificed for the country. “Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi could have easily become Prime Minister if they wanted to unlike your family that has grabbed power despite promising to make a dalit first Chief Minister of Telangana,” he said adding that Congress made a dalit Chief Minister of the combined Andhra Pradesh without making any promise.
Further accusing KCR of being anti-dalit, he said the Chief Minister engineered defections in the Congress only because he couldn’t bear a dalit, Bhatti Vikramarka being, elected Congress Legislature Party leader and also Leader of the Opposition. “That’s your commitment towards dalits,” he charged.
Before accusing Congress, Mr. Reddy said, KTR should realise that his father KCR was made a chairman even though he was defeated as a Single Window Director. “KCR started his political life losing as Siddipet MLA as well” he reminded, adding that KCR always changed his constituencies with the fear of losing elections.
Mr. Reddy claimed that the TRS was shaken by the success of the Warangal meeting and all its supporters – BJP and MIM – came out of the hole suddenly to criticise the Congress, thus exposing their hidden agenda. He said the Congress would launch an investigation, once it comes to power, on the faults in the construction of the Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri and also why it took more than 8 years for the construction of the Martyrs Memorial, the cost of which has been escalated to ₹200 crore from ₹62 crore.
Nalgonda MP, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy took a dig at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioning his reaction to Rahul Gandhi’s visit. Did he respond on behalf of the BJP or as the combined representative of the TRS, BJP and AIMIM because all the three parties responded similarly? He said KCR asked the TRS and others not to criticise PM Modi on the floor of the House showing his strong association with him.
Mr. Uttam Reddy said the Warangal declaration gave a lot of hope to the farmers and they were aware that its earlier promise of farm loan waiver was done at one go, unlike the TRS. He said Congress was purchasing paddy at ₹ 2,500 per quintal in Chattisgarh and the same would be implemented in Telangana.
Prakash Raj criticised
Mr. Revanth Reddy made light of Mr. Prakash Raj’s criticism saying his capabilities reflected in the last Lok Sabha elections where he lost miserably and also in the MAA elections. “He should realise where he comes from before poking his nose in Telangana politics with his immature comments,” he said.
