KCR Slams Congress, Calls Them Idiots

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today slammed the Congress for "playing politics" on the BC reservations for the panchayat elections.

"There is no politics in our stand of passing an ordinance for the panchayat polls," he said. "The Congress remarks are idiotic."

Addressing a press conference at Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that there was no truth in the Congress campaign. He also flayed BJP leader K Laxman for his remarks against the BC quota ordinance. He appealed to the people to understand the Opposition's "gimmicks" for political gains in this regard. Despite all such campaigns, the panchayat elections would be held as planned, he said.

After the High Court had insisted on a 50% cap on reservations in the panchayat elections, his government had moved the Supreme Court for a higher quota, but in vain, KCR said. The Supreme Court had refused to budge on the cap, and asked the government to conduct the panchayat elections as per schedule. The government, left with no other go, had issued an ordinance to reduce the reservations for BCs from 34% to 22.7% to stick to the 50% cap, he clarified.

"Our goal was proportionate representation for the BCs, and we had put in strong efforts towards that end," he claimed.

He also added that though the government wanted to hold the panchayat elections before the Assembly elections, lack of clarification on the BC quota had delayed the process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself being a BC was not setting up an MBC corporation for the BCs in the country, but the TRS government had got the issue of BC reservations into the limelight with its struggle and had also given the Council Chairman and Assembly Speaker posts to BC leaders, he claimed. The false campaign of the Congress that the TRS was cheating the BCs would be exposed to the people and there was nothing wrong in calling them idiots, KCR said (he had called them "bewakoof gallu").

Attacking Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Uttam Kumar Reddy directly, KCR said that Reddy was not a leader, and that he kept speaking foolishly on the BC quota and on EVM tampering. He asked the Congress whether it had won the Assembly polls in the three other states by EVM tampering.

"We faced defeat due to internal clashes at Khammmam, and our leaders Thummala Nageswara Rao, Jupally Krishna Rao, Mahender Reddy, Chandulal and Madhusudhana Chary also lost the elections. If we could tamper with the EVMs, why would we see all these defeats?" he asked.