Congress senior leader and TPCC Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Convener Mohammed Ali Shabbir has claimed that the speech delivered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Telangana Jana Garjana Sabha in Khammam has left leaders of the ruling BRS in a state of fear.
Shabbir Ali said that Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in Karnataka had effectively exposed the corruption of the BJP government in that state, ultimately leading to its downfall. He claimed that BRS leaders are now apprehensive of facing similar consequences in Telangana.
Highlighting the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Shabbir Ali mentioned that the fear of the Congress leader’s influence compelled Minister Harish Rao and other BRS leaders to watch the speech live. He emphasized that their prompt reaction demonstrates the significance they attribute to Rahul Gandhi’s words.
Shabbir Ali further criticized Harish Rao’s allegations against the Congress party, describing them as ridiculous. He pointed out that it was the same Congress party that provided political identity to the TRS by forging an alliance in the 2004 elections. As part of that alliance, TRS received 42 MLA seats and six MP seats, and Harish Rao himself served as a cabinet member in the Dr Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy government. He said TRS owes its existence to the Congress party.
He accused the TRS of betraying the Congress party by promising a merger and criticized their track record since 2014. He accused the TRS of making false promises, spreading fake claims, and engaging in significant corruption, which has ultimately betrayed the people of Telangana.
The Congress leader expressed disappointment over the obstructions created by the BRS Government during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Telangana. He highlighted that hundreds of vehicles heading to the public meeting venue in Khammam were forcibly stopped using police force, while the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) refused to provide buses for the event, despite its autonomous status. He attributed this behaviour to Transport Minister Ajay Kumar’s alleged interference in denying buses for the public meeting.
One of the key issues raised by Rahul Gandhi during his speech was the alleged Kaleshwaram Project scam. Shabbir Ali noted that Harish Rao, being the Irrigation Minister, appeared particularly fearful as the project was under his purview. He criticized the TRS government for escalating the project’s cost from approximately Rs. 30,000 crores to nearly Rs. 140,000 crores, supposedly to increase commission from the contractors. “Let BRS Govt come up with a White Paper on Kaleshwaram Project giving details of when the Detailed Project Project was prepared and when it was approved and also explain when and why the project cost was escalated. It should explain how it plans to repay the loans of over Rs.87,000 crore it borrowed in the name of Kaleshwaram Project,” he demanded.
“The success of the ‘Telangana Jana Garjana’ in Khammam has sent shockwaves among BRS leaders. They are now expected to resort to various tactics in an attempt to regain public attention,” he said while asserting that the Congress party has been gaining momentum, while leaders from the ruling BRS, including Chief Minister KCR and his ministers, have realized that they are heading for a humiliating defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections.
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