Revanth Reddy kicks off Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra in Kodangal

Hyderabad: TPCC president Revanth Reddy slammed Telangana Chief Minister KCR and accused him of not fulfilling any of his poll promises in the last eight years. Revanth launched the Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra in Kodangal constituency of erstwhile Mahabubnagar district on 27 January.

Addressing the people, he said, “Kodangal people are my people. The development of Kodangal and self-esteem are my two eyes. With the support of my people, I will work till the last drop of my blood and I will continue my struggle.” Accusing KCR of conspiring against Kodangal, the Congress leader said, “The Narayanapet lift irrigation that we proposed has been kept aside. Vikarabad Krishna railway line which was supposed to come here was prevented from coming. Due to this, cement factories that are supposed to be set up here did not come up and the youth did not get jobs.”

He added, “When the Congress was in power, we provided all kinds of help to every poor person. Nine years after KCR came to power, the poor have not even been given a double-bedroom house.”

What is the Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra?

The Congress’ Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra kickstarted on 26 January, on the occasion of Republic Day. It will continue for 60 days from 6 February.

In the first phase, the three-month-long electoral outreach campaign will be arranged at the village and block levels. In the second phase, the yatra will be arranged at the district level, and in the third phase, at the state level. Congress hopes to reach 10 lakh election polling booths, 2.5 lakh village panchayats, and 6 lakh villages.

‘KCR has made a mockery of democracy’

Addressing the media on Republic Day, Revanth said the Hath see Hath Jodo yatra will continue as per the party’s order and hoped the people of Telangana would bless the party and take the march forward. Revanth said there is apprehension about whether the spirit of the Constitution will continue and accused the BJP of privatisation of public sector assets worth crores of rupees. He ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a great man who has put a minister to sell public sector companies.

He said KCR has made a mockery of democracy by restricting Republic Day celebrations to Pragati Bhavan and Raj Bhavan. He said that if there are differences between the Governor and the CM, they should be dealt with on a different platform, not on Republic Day. The TPCC chief further said that former minister Etela Rajender joined BJP with the aim of ousting KCR but realised there were KCR coverts in the party.

Revanth said the minimum age for contesting elections as an MLA will be reduced from 25 to 21 years and said there should be a system to set up fast-track courts and take swift action against party defectors. “Intellectuals should think about bringing an amendment to the Constitution on this issue. Party defections have become dangerous for the country,” he said.

The Congress MP also congratulated those who received the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Padma Shri awards. Out of the total 106 Padma awards announced by the Centre, he expressed happiness that the Telugu people had got 12 of them.