Defeat BJP in the ‘finals’ to show Telangana’s ‘vigour’, says Revanth Reddy

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy urges voters to defeat BJP in Lok Sabha elections, accusing party of removing reservations.

Calling the Lok Sabha elections a fight between ‘Telangana atma gauravam’ (self-respect) and ‘Gujarat pettanam’ (bossism), Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy called upon people to teach a fitting lesson to the BJP in the May 13 Parliamentary elections in Telangana.

The BJP is conspiring to remove reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs and its slogan of “400 paar” is indicative of its intention, he charged, alleging that the Delhi police have turned up after he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the reservations issue. He was speaking at a huge public meeting held in Jammikunta town in the poll-bound Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday.

“You have made the BRS bite the dust in the semi-finals (Assembly elections-2023) and brought Indiramma (Congress) Rajyam and now it is time to show Telangana paurusham (vigour) to defeat the BJP in the finals (Lok Sabha elections),” he said. Reiterating his charge that the BJP will remove the reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs if re-elected, Mr Reddy alleged that the BJP dispensation at the Centre passed several bills unilaterally with its “brute majority” in the house. He alleged that BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s prediction of a “hung Parliament” and a role for the BRS in a possible coalition government at the Centre exposed the secret pact between the BRS and the BJP. KCR will not be allowed to join INDIA bloc coalition at any cost, Mr Reddy said.

Mr Reddy accused the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre of meting out severe injustice to Telangana in the last 10 years. The BJP government has utterly failed to fulfil the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act and deprived Telangana of the promised steel factory at Bayyaram, ITIR among other projects, he said. In a symbolic protest against the Centre’s alleged apathy towards Telangana, he showed a replica of ‘gadida guddu’ (donkey’s egg) alleging that it implied the BJP’s “zero contribution” to Telangana’s development. He lashed out at the BJP candidates in Karimnagar, Nizamabad and other constituencies for allegedly using Lord Ram for ‘electoral gains’.

Mr Reddy reiterated that the farm loans will be waived off before August 15 this year. Minister for Backward Classes Welfare and Transport Ponnam Prabhakar and others spoke.