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Opposition leaders share stage, launch joint attack on BJP at KCR’s rally
The first mega rally of Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS brought together several prominent opposition leaders, who attacked the BJP-led Centre over a host of issues and gave a call for regime change in next year’s general elections
Hyderabad: The first mega rally of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday brought together several prominent opposition leaders, who attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government over a host of issues and gave a call for regime change in next year’s general elections.
The Telangana BJP, however, called the rally a “get-together of leaders” whose agenda was nothing but to “spew venom” at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Besides KCR, as the Telangana chief minister is popularly called, the rally at Khammam was also attended by his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja.
Stating that the country needed another people’s movement on the lines of the Telangana statehood movement, KCR said the southern state will become a torchbearer for the entire nation.
“Like in Telangana, we shall ensure round-the-clock free power supply to agriculture sector, implement Rythu Bandhu scheme (giving ₹10,000 per acre annually to every farmer towards input cost) and Dalit Bandhu (crediting ₹10lakh to each eligible Dalit family for self-empowerment programmes) all over the country,” he said.
The BRS will put up a strong fight against the “indiscriminate privatisation” of public assets by the Narendra Modi government, KCR said.
“The power sector has been handed over to the private sector. The Life Insurance Corporation is being privatised. So is the case with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant,” he said. “The ‘Make In India’ slogan has become a big joke. If the BRS gets the people’s mandate, we shall undo these decisions.”
He also warned the people against the “divisive tactics” of the BJP by instigating “religious hatred”. “We should promote religious tolerance. We should remain united and only then the country would witness all round development,” he said. “The last victory will be ours.”
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP will not be in power at the Centre after 399 days, referring to PM Modi’s comment in his party’s national executive meet on Tuesday that only 400 days are left for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “Yesterday, BJP accepted that only 400 days are left for them in power. Those who start counting their days, can’t remain in power. Now, only 399 days are remaining,” Yadav said, accusing the BJP of failing to deal with high inflation and unemployment.
Accusing the BJP-ruled Centre of “undoing the foundations of the nation’s democracy”, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the Khammam rally will be the beginning of a “new resistance” against the saffron party and to protect secularism, democracy and the Constitution.
“Those who are in power at the Centre at present do not know the values the country was built on. So they seek to alter the basic structure and undo the very foundations of our country and democracy and our constitution,” he alleged.
Addressing the mega public meeting, which was the first after KCR renamed his Telangana Rashtra Samithi to BRS, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asked people to usher in a regime that would think about the country, unemployment, healthcare and price rise.
“Now, the country wants a change. People came to know that these people (NDA government) did not come to change the country. They just came to ruin the country. The 2024 elections are an opportunity for you (people),” he said. “Ten years is over. How long will you wait?”
Kejriwal’s party colleague Bhagwant Mann said the country wanted jobs and the youth are jobless.
CPI leader D Raja used the platform to appeal to all secular democratic parties to understand the emerging threat. “We will have to fight against the BJP-RSS combine and will have to defeat them in the forthcoming 2024 elections. This is the message that should go from Khammam, the revolutionary centre of Telangana,” he said. “I appeal to all secular democratic parties who are present here who are not present here to understand the emerging threat and understand the disaster that we are facing.”
In his address, KCR also accused the Modi regime of neglecting the agriculture sector. He said the BRS, if voted to power, would do away with short-term armed forces recruitment scheme Agnipath. He said several parts of the country were still facing a drinking water crisis. “In the last eight years, we have ensured that every household get drinking water supply through Mission Bhagiratha scheme. If we come to power at the Centre, we shall implement similar schemes all over the country in the next five years.”
Telangana BJP’s official spokesman NV Subhash said the people of India will not fall into KCR’s trap. “The meeting has failed to project any alternative agenda and policies and programmes of the BRS,” he said, terming the BRS as “Bekar Rashtra Samithi” or “Bakwas Rashtra Samithi”.
“The people of Telangana have rejected the KCR model, as he came to power on hollow promises,” he claimed. “How can the people of other states believe him, if he says he would implement his model across the country.”
