K Chandrasekhar Rao bats for federal front

K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: Hitting out at the BJP and the Congress for allegedly failing to meet the aspirations of the people, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said a federal front government must come to power after the Lok Sabha elections. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi president said he would play a major role and start a national party, if necessary, to herald reforms and unite the country.

"If this country is to improve, it has to move forward on par with other countries at an international level with its head held high. Only if the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are made to run away, alternative federal politics will come in this country. The writ of states should run," he said, kicking off his party's election campaign in Karimnagar. The TRS is seeking 16 seats for itself and one seat for ally AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi to ensure that Telangana gets a "good" deal post-Lok Sabha elections. There are 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.

"Not just these 16 MPs, but by gathering 100 to 150 MPs, Telangana should influence the country's politics," he said. The country has not been able to progress the way it should have with the Congress and the BJP at the helm of affairs since Independence, he said. Giving an example, he said the country is blessed with 70,000 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, however there is still drinking and irrigation water shortage. He further claimed power plants were not being used effectively. China has progressed greatly, though it was backward earlier, he said. Many reforms are needed in governance, judiciary, among others, he said.

During his visit to Telangana, BJP president Amit Shah had said the Centre has given plenty of funds to the state, which is not true, KCR alleged. He said all central funds received by the state were as per the Constitution. Telangana is among the six-seven states that make the country run, he said. The chief minister criticised the thorny relations between the government and the opposition. While Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleges Prime Minister Narendra Modi is corrupt, Modi retorts by saying the Gandhis are out on bail, KCR said. He mocked the BJP's "Hindutva agenda", asking whether others outside the saffron party were not Hindus.

"The local Congress, BJP leaders are speaking today with big mouths as if there is no problem, no problem of drinking water, as if they only took contract for Hindu religion. Are you only Hindu? Are we not Hindu," he said. "We are better Hindus than you. Nobody in India does as many 'yagas' as I do. In fact, Modi (once) said Rao spends most of his time on 'pujas'. What is your (Modi) loss if we do 'pujas'. You come if you like, I will give you 'prasadam'," he said.

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