KCR Addresses BRS Foundation Day, Slams Congress

BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) today lashed out at Karnataka BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for making "reckless" remarks on the formation of Telangana.

Addressing the State party executive committee meeting at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad, KCR slammed Surya for comparing the formation of Telangana State to the birth of Pakistan and trying to portray it as a separatist movement.

He asked what the Congress and BJP leaders from the State were doing while a BJP MP spoke disparagingly about the State. Had BRS members been present in the Lok Sabha, they would have turned it into a battlefield in protest, he claimed.

He recalled that when Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil had spoken about the Kaleshwaram project derogatorily in the Rajya Sabha, then BRS floor leader Suresh Reddy had strongly condemned the remarks.

The BRS supremo said that he had endured immense mental anguish on several occasions in the agitation for statehood for Telangana. Giving an example, he claimed that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had repeatedly asked him to compromise on the issue of Hyderabad, but he had steadfastly refused to do so, and called that a testament to his integrity.

He also urged party leaders to introspect on the reasons for their defeat despite implementing several welfare programs. Pointing out that despite having a membership base of 60 lakh the party had lost, he said that it was clear that quality, and not quantity, mattered. Specifically pointing out that the party had lost even in the coal belt region despite doing a lot for the Singareni workers, he said that the debacle showed that there were several structural issues that needed to be fixed.

Lashing out at the ruling Congress, he alleged that Congress leaders were rampantly involved in illegal activities and land encroachments while the farmers' conditions had worsened and the administration had failed even to procure grain effectively. Accusing the Congress leaders of turning the State into a garbage dump, he said that what was happening in the State was completely baffling. He said that the people were thoroughly disillusioned with the current situation, and would support the BRS in the upcoming elections.

On the occasion, KCR also announced the dissolution of all party committees except the State committee. He added that membership enrollment would be conducted both online and offline, and directed that 200 party activists in each Assembly constituency be trained to that end.

A fee of Rs 10 was fixed for general membership and Rs 50 for active membership.

KCR also passed a resolution demanding procurement of all crops in the State, and also called for immediate steps to implement women's reservations.