Bus Yatra Will Expose TRS' Failures: Congress

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the party's proposed "Praja Chaitanya Bus Yatra" would expose the failures of the TRS government in the State.

Addressing the day-long convention of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Seva Dal at Indira Bhavan on Thursday, Reddy said that the yatra, scheduled to be launched on February 26 at Chevella, was aimed at highlighting the failures of the TRS government and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

He said that despite completing nearly four years in power, the KCR government had not fulfilled the promises that it had made to the various sections of the society. He said that the CM had been cheating all sections with fake promises and hollow claims for the last four years.

The TPCC chief said that even as the next budget session was likely to start on March 12, the TRS government was not clear on how it would fulfil its major electoral promises like three acres of land for each dalit family, 12% reservation for Muslims and STs, and free double bedroom houses for the poor. He said that the dalits, STs, minorities, women, farmers, agricultural workers, students and youth had expected a better life in the new state, but that the TRS government had focused on crushing the people's voices and suppressing democratic norms.

Listing out the other failures of the TRS, Reddy said that Telangana's reputation was badly hurt due to some incidents like the police atrocities on dalits in Nerella. Similarly, the handcuffing and chaining of tribal farmers for seeking remunerative prices for their chilli crop in Khammam would remain a dark episode in Telangana's history, he said. KCR had even humiliated former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar despite the fact that she was the daughter of Babu Jagjivan Ram. The CM had ridiculed Kumar's visit to Nerella, and did not even consider the role she had played in passing the Telangana Bill in Lok Sabha.

Likewise, Manda Krishna Madiga was illegally sent to jail twice only to silence his voice demanding categorisation of the Scheduled Castes, Reddy said. And KCR had shown utter disrespect to the two crore women of Telangana by not giving them any representation in his cabinet, he added.

Reddy also accused the Chief Minister of neglecting the entire agriculture sector. He said that only the KCR government was responsible for the suicides of over 4,000 farmers in the last four years. He said that though budgets adding up to nearly Rs. 5 lakhs were presented in the Telangana Assembly so far, not even five rupees were spent to procure agricultural produce or bail out distressed farmers. And the erratic implementation of the crop loan waiver scheme had created even more problems for the farmers, he said.

The TPCC chief also slammed KCR for not clearing the fee reimbursement dues. Young students were being forced to discontinue their higher studies due to non-clearance of reimbursement dues for the last two years, he lamented.

Reddy also said that the KCR government would be remembered in history for orchestrating large scale defections. He said that elected representatives from Sarpanches to MPs of other parties were made to join the TRS through bribes or intimidation.

Highlighting the failures of the KCR government and its inefficiency in handling the new state would be the simple strategy of the Congress in the next elections, Reddy said. And the proposed bus yatra would also help the Congress caution the people against KCR's mind games to stay in power.

Reddy also said that the Seva Dal had a rich history and was once headed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He said that the members of the Dal had participated in the freedom struggle as a militant group, and even faced a ban. He said that there was a need to revive the past glory of the body. He asked all Congress workers to strengthen the Dal, and promised them that due prominence would be given to the entity by the party in the allocation of tickets. He requested the members of the Seva Dal to actively participate in the bus yatra program.

AICC Secretary R C Khuntia, in his speech, lauded the services of the Seva Dal for the community and the party. Unlike the RSS, he said that the Seva Dal had done commendable service to the nation.

The meeting was also addressed by Rajya Sabha MP A K Khan, TPCC Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Leader Of Opposition in the Telangana Council Shabbir Ali, former MP V Hanumantha Rao, MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, Seva Dal chairman K Janardhan Reddy and other leaders.