Congress claims credit for Telangana formation; BRS asks for development report card

Hyderabad: Who should get the credit for the formation of Telangana State? This has become a point of heated debate between senior Telangana Congress leaders and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPPC) president Revanth Reddy has released a video recently wherein Sonia Gandhi and the map of Telangana are featured. This video has caused quite a stir in the ranks of BRS. The KCR-led Telangana government has asked the Congress to prove its efforts in fulfilling the promises it had made to people earlier.

Revanth releases old video of KCR

Information and Technology Minister KT Rama Rao criticised the Congress for taking credit for the formation of Telangana State. He said that during the struggle for an independent state, the people had warned the ruling Congress that the party would have no place in Telangana if it didn’t comply. “Only then did Sonia Gandhi give Telangana State,” he said.

Countering KTR’s statement, Revanth Reddy released a video of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao speaking in the Assembly. The video has him saying “It is because of the initiatives of Sonia Gandhi that Telangana State was formed. There is no doubt in that.”

This old video of KCR is now being shared by the Congress party to counter the points of KTR. Reddy, in his tweet, also asked KTR to listen to his party president and learn about the people responsible for the formation of Telangana State.

Kavitha hits out at Gandhis

Other BRS leaders too have come out criticising the Congress. K Kavitha, in a meeting in Jagityal on September 13 asked Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to first focus on speaking on the development in Telangana, before laying claim to the state’s formation.

“They are making huge promises to the people of Telangana. Have they made these promises in other states too? Is there an example that can guarantee the people of Telangana that the party will fulfil its promises? They should first answer these questions and then come to Telangana. The party should give an explanation about the status of the Women’s Reservation Bill, Farmers’ Bill and other such legislation and then speak to the people of Telangana,” she said.

Congress to make 5 guarantees

Countering the ruling party’s comments on the party, the Congress is gearing up for its mega event in Telangana. The people of the state are going to witness a major political activity in the form of a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on September 16. Among many activities and agendas planned for the event, the meeting is also said to decide the national plan for the Congress for the upcoming general elections.

On September 17 morning, the CWC members will participate in meetings to discuss the election strategy and other issues. At 5 pm, the party would hold the Vijayabeheri mega rally, where its leaders would announce 'five guarantees' to the people of Telangana if it is elected in the upcoming elections. These five guarantees have been created to help women, farmers, unemployed youth, minorities and the Old City residents of Hyderabad. The party promises to also include providing pension and housing schemes.

According to sources, there are one crore guarantee cards which are going to be distributed to the people. On September 18, the senior Congress party members, along with state leaders, are going to travel to 100 constituencies and campaign for the state elections.

BRS has declared its candidates

BRS party has declared its candidates for the Telangana 115 Assembly seats and it has distributed the tickets, most of them being sitting MLAs. The candidates have started networking with their party leaders at the ground level.

The promises being doled out by the Congress party have become a source of skirmishes at the ground level. This is making the BRS leaders wonder if the ‘Congress leaders would be able to fulfil their promises’. The BRS is looking for ways to counter Congress' strategy and gain more visibility among the public.