Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao has downplayed the significance of recent defections by party corporators in Khammam, asserting that the ultimate power lies with the people and not a handful of elected representatives. The senior leader made these remarks while addressing party workers in Khammam on Wednesday.
Defections Won't Dent BRS Prospects, Says KTR
Reacting to reports of BRS corporators switching allegiance to the Congress, KTR stated that such moves would not impact his party's prospects in the upcoming Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections. He alleged that some ministers from the Khammam district were actively visiting the houses of BRS corporators, pressuring them to join the ruling Congress party.
"None can stop it if people decide," KTR emphasized, highlighting that the electorate's verdict is supreme. The leader was speaking at the Khammam BRS party office after felicitating newly elected sarpanches from the party.
Accusations of Political Opportunism and Development Claims
KTR used the occasion to launch a sharp critique against the Congress, accusing it of ignoring development and engaging in political opportunism. He contrasted this with the developmental work undertaken during the BRS government's tenure.
He cited the example of Tummala Nageshwara Rao, stating that BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao gave him a ministerial berth after he lost the 2014 assembly elections and was "sitting idle." KTR asserted that Khammam's development happened only during the BRS rule.
Financial Management and Countering Allegations
Addressing financial allegations, KTR presented figures to defend the BRS government's economic record. He claimed that during the BRS regime, the total state debt was Rs 3.5 lakh crore, which included the share of borrowings from the united Andhra Pradesh era.
"The BRS took only Rs 2.8 lakh crore in borrowings, and the amount was used on infrastructure and other development works as future investment," he explained. He concluded this point with a direct accusation: "KCR did not loot the state like Congress."
KTR also mocked a previous claim made by state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who had predicted that political "bombs" would explode after Diwali in 2024. "Even two Diwalis later, nothing happened," KTR remarked, dismissing the threat.
