In a fiery address, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress party in Telangana, accusing it of securing victory in the 2023 assembly elections through deceit and false promises.
Allegations of Betrayal and Failed Governance
Speaking at the 'Atmiya Sammelanam' of newly-elected BRS sarpanches and upa-sarpanches in Mahabubabad on Saturday, KTR alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy misled the public by taking oaths in the names of gods and senior Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi. He claimed that after assuming power, the Congress government betrayed every section of society.
KTR asserted that the previous BRS regime, led by his father K Chandrasekhar Rao, had handed over a 'golden state' to the Congress following the polls. He criticized the grand old party for not knowing how to run the administration effectively, focusing instead on what he called 'time-pass' politics.
Political Retaliation and the 'League Match' Victory
Responding to personal attacks on BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, the former minister stated that while he is linguistically equipped to retaliate in Telugu, Hindi, and English, he chooses restraint out of respect for the chief minister's office. He accused Revanth Reddy of diverting attention from governance by initiating endless commissions and cases, such as those related to Formula-E and phone tapping.
On the recent panchayat election results, KTR declared that a statewide revolt against the Congress government has begun, fueled by public anger over unfulfilled promises and administrative failures. He metaphorically described the panchayat results as a 'league match' victory. He urged the party cadre to secure wins in the upcoming 'semi-finals'—the municipal, ZPTC, and MPTC elections—to pave the way for the 'finals' and ultimately reinstall KCR as the chief minister.
Grassroots Support and Constitutional Authority
KTR praised the dedication of BRS grassroots workers who remained steadfast even when senior leaders, including Kadiyam Srihari, defected to other parties. To support local representatives, he announced plans to establish a legal cell and training programmes in every district. This initiative aims to protect BRS sarpanches from alleged harassment by Congress leaders.
He reminded the gathered sarpanches that 75% of funds from the Central government flow directly to panchayats and are not the personal property of the state government. Emphasizing their constitutional role, he stated, "A sarpanch is as much a constitutional authority for a village as a CM is for the state."
The event was attended by several prominent BRS leaders, including MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra, MLC Ravinder Rao, BRS district president Kavitha, former minister Satyavathi Rathod, former MP Vinod Kumar, and several former MLAs.
