Asking the people whether they prefer ‘Dorala Telangana or Prajala Telangana’, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi appealed voters not to get betrayed once again by the ruling party and assured that the Congress will provide democratic governance and implement the six welfare schemes announced by it.
Mr. Gandhi said this election was a battle between the ‘Dorala Telangana’ headed by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and ‘Prajala Telangana’ led by the Congress. “On one side, it’s KCR and his family, and on the other side, we stand with the mothers, sisters, and unemployed youth of Telangana,” he said speaking at a public meeting in Kollapur on Tuesday.
The programme was supposed to be addressed by Priyanka Gandhi, but her visit was put off due to health issues and Mr Gandhi included himself for his sister.
He said there were significant betrayals in “Dorala Telangana.” In the Kaleshwaram project, the BJP and BRS had siphoned off ₹1 lakh crore from the people of Telangana, and the damaged and sinking pillars of the Medigadda barrage were testimony to it, he alleged. To repay the debt incurred by this project, every family in Telangana would have to contribute approximately ₹31,500 until 2040. He asked people to compare the projects constructed by the Congress like Nagarjuna Sagar, Jurala, Singur and Sriram Sagar with the Kaleshwaram project.
Another betrayal was the land issue, where the lands given to Dalits, tribal people, and Backward Classes by the Congress’s ‘Prajala Telangana’ were being taken away by KCR’s ‘Dorala Telangana’ in the name of Dharani portal. He alleged that 20 lakh farmers had been affected and faced injustice due to Mr. KCR’s Dharani portal,, and the entire exercise benefited only the family of KCR. Key portfolios such as land revenue, sand, and liquor were under KCR’s family to exploit Telangana, he alleged.
He said the financial situation was precarious, the State government employees were not receiving their salaries on time, and the public sector units were closing down. The fight here was evidently between Congress and BRS, but importantly, BRS, BJP, and AIMIM were fighting together, he said.
“Voting for MIM or BJP is ultimately in vain, as it benefits the BRS. The BJP is also destined to lose in 2024 at the national level,” he said adding that people had made up their mind to vote for the Congress though Mr. KCR might have the power of money, government, and media. “Wherever the Congress has formed governments in the States, we have fulfilled our promises, and we will do the same in Telangana,” he said.
‘Third term to loot’
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Revanth Reddy fumed at Mr. KCR for seeking a third term and asked whether this was to ‘loot another ₹1 lakh crore’. He said Palamuru, Kalvakurti, Bhima and Nettempadu projects were not completed even after 10 years, and asked people to give a chance to the Congress and standby Sonia Gandhi who delivered Telangana.
“The Congress high command has put the responsibility of giving B form to the candidates belonging to 119 constituencies on the son of Palamuru, therefore you should support Congress in this district” said Revanth Reddy.
He said KCR was trying to blame Congress for the attack on the Dubbaka BRS candidate and reminded that Congress’s culture was of sacrifice and not attacks. CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, Bhongir MP, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, AICC incharge Manikrao Thakare and Kollapur candidate Jupally Krishna Rao were present.
