Which Asad to believe? KTR on 'Don’t take us for granted statement'

Hyderabad: Ahead of the Telangana Formation Day on 2 June and six months before the state Assembly elections, Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao hailed the Telangana model’s effective governance policies and came out strongly against their friendly party chief Asaduddin Owaisi and the Opposition parties both in the state and the Centre.

‘No one is taken for granted'

“We( referring to the BRS party) are not taking Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and his party All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen for granted. This is the same MP who goes to Uttar Pradesh and other states and sings praises of the Telangana model of development. So which Asaduddin Owaisi would you believe?” KTR said during an informal chat with journalists on Thursday.

“Asad goes to Uttar Pradesh and says ‘Hamare Telangana main toh yeh hota hai’ and talks about the minority welfare programmes. Which Asad is right?” asked the minister.

This comes a day after Mr. Owaisi’s speech in Adilabad where he spilled the beans on Telangana-based industrialist building a bungalow for Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad. Towards the end of the speech, the AIMIM chief said “Don’t take us for granted” (referring to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s BRS).

There is a love-hate relationship between AIMIM and BRS in the state. When asked about the split in the anti-BJP vote if Majlis contested in more seats outside its regular political arena, KTR refused to tow the communal angle and said all Muslims could not be categorised as pro-Majlis.

‘Telangana Model being copied in other states’

Beginning his conversation, KTR said, “Telangana has carved a mark for itself across the world and I have seen this in my 15-day visit to the United Kingdom and the United States of America. We (the BRS government) have done enormous work for the state. Innovation, infrastructure, and inclusive growth is the mantra for successful governance. But there is always scope for improvement.”

He added, “In terms of infrastructure, we are looking at improving transport and metro rail in Hyderabad. There must at least be 250 kilometres of metro rail. Health and education, we have done well but there is scope for improvement.”

Stating that the Telangana Model is the best in the country, KTR said, “Earlier, there was a saying that what happens in West Bengal is copied in India. Now we say what happens in Telangana is copied in India. We have brought the state to that level of governance.”

He said Telangana’s T-Hub has inspired M-Hub in Maharashtra. “This is the Telangana influence,” he said and added, “I dare Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge to show a better model in the country than Telangana.”

He added, “Telangana has an able and stable leadership for the state.”

Allegations on infrastructure contract

KTR said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Revanth Reddy’s allegations regarding the allotment of the contract of Outer Ring Road was a false narrative.

“The government has clarified the ORR via a press conference. There are complete details in the open. It has also been made clear that any investigation agency can investigate but instead of doing that, there is a false narrative being made. There is no evidence presented to substantiate these allegations. The MAUD department has not filed a defamation case against them. The matter is now for the court to decide,” he said.

Opposition unity

KTR said BRS is not here to unite the Opposition parties. “Every party has a role to play and we are going to the people with our narrative. It is for the people to decide. People of this country know what they want and they vote accordingly. Eighty per cent of the time people get rejected due to their governance,” he said.

“We are here for a long haul. We are not here to unite the Opposition parties,” KTR added.

In a paradigm shift to the way politics are practiced in India, minister KTR wanted the people of the country to unite first rather than political parties uniting with the aim to bring down a particular person or party.

To have a third or fourth front, the minister said there cannot be two political parties only. He said, “The Karnataka victory is not the victory of the Congress party. It is the result of anger against the state governance.”

He added, “We cannot have blind hatred against one man or a party as that is not what the country wants. It has a negative impact. The country wants what is the alternative or what are the positive outcomes to look forward to.”

BRS, in its effort to gain strength in other states like Maharashtra, has not propagated fear or hatred against Narendra Modi or any political outfit, said the minister. “We have projected the benefits of extrapolating BRS’s victories in Telangana in the fields of irrigation, drinking water, and financial assistance to farmers in those states,” he added.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024

Predicting a defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, KTR pointed out that people have already decided to bid goodbye to him.

Terming Prime Minister Modi as the most ineffective and inefficient in the history of India, he said, “In 2014, Narendra Modi said LPG cylinder prices cost Rs. 400, send Prime Minister Manmohan Singh home. In 2024, the same cylinder costs Rs. 1,200 and it is now time for PM Modi to go home.”

While answering a question about who was the best PM, he added, “In my personal opinion, former Prime Minister and Telugu pride PV Narasimha Rao was the best PM for the country. Unfortunately, he was the most underrated PM and not even recognised by his own party.”

KTR concluded, “It is not the Opposition who will decide the PM. It will be the people who will decide the next Prime Minister of the country. We (political parties) must not underestimate the collective wisdom of the people.”