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Telangana BJP chief to start padyatra from Aug 9 ahead of Huzurabad by-polls
Bandi Sanjay Kumar has said that the padyatra would conclude on October 2 in Huzurabad. Eatala Rajender, the former state health minister and a TRS leader who joined the BJP last month, will contest the by-polls from the Huzurabad constituency
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar has announced he would begin a padyatra (foot march) from the state capital of Hyderabad on August 9, which will end in Huzurabad. The first phase of the march will cover nearly 750km and will be spread over 55 days, he told news agency PTI.
Speaking at the Telangana BJP executive meeting, Kumar said on Sunday that the journey would conclude on October 2 in Huzurabad. He added that the padyatra would be conducted in phases in all assembly constituencies across the state, the PTI report stated.
Highlighting that Mahatma Gandhi started the Quit India movement on August 9, 1942, to end the British rule in India, Kumar said that the party drew “inspiration” from the same with the aim to achieve ‘Democratic Telangana’.
According to the PTI report, the foot march is focused on creating awareness among people on the alleged failures of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government and also to expose the alleged corrupt practices of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his party MLAs, and his cabinet colleagues.
The BJP state chief said that during the journey, people would be apprised of the different welfare and developmental initiatives implemented by the BJP-lead central government, and also the party’s vision, should they come to power in Telangana, PTI reported.
Kumar also demanded that Rao apologise to the people of Telangana for the two-year delay in responding to the Andhra Pradesh government’s construction of projects across the Krishna River, the Deccan Chronicle reported. Confident that his party will win the upcoming Huzurabad by-polls, he said that reports and pre-poll surveys projected a certain victory for Eatala Rajender. Notably, Rajender is the former health minister of the state who left the TRS to join the BJP last month.
Meanwhile, chief minister Rao on Sunday announced many incentives for the citizens of the state, including lowering the age to 57 years for Aasara pension eligibility, the New Indian Express reported. A provision of ₹5 lakh insurance cover for the powerloom and handloom weavers as per the Rythu Bheema scheme was also included among the new incentives. Rao also announced that the monthly stipend of first, second and third-year students will be hiked to ₹5,000, ₹6,000, and ₹7,000, respectively.
