Exuding confidence about the prospects of his party, the TRS, in the upcoming graduates' constituencies' MLC elections, Telangana Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar today said that the party's candidate for the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal seat, incumbent MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, would surely win the seat despite the "mudslinging" of the Opposition.
Speaking at a public program in Khammam district, with other party leaders, including MP Nama Nageswara Rao, former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and MLA S Venkata Veeraiah, Kumar urged the graduate voters of the region to support Rajeshwar Reddy, assuring them that he would devote himself to developing the constituency if he won the seat.
The minister also claimed that unlike the BJP-led Centre, the TRS did not have "dual standards" for development. Lashing out at the saffron party, he said, "The steep rises in the prices of fuel in the nation have burdened the people of India. It seems like the Centre is not concerned about the people, but is only worried about supporting the big corporates of the country. Its pro-big business inclinations can be seen in its attempts to sell several major PSUs. The union government does not seem to realise the detrimental effects of such sales. On top of all this, the BJP leaders in the state constantly level false allegations against the state government and our party for political mileage. However, unlike the BJP leaders, who do not do much for the state, we will always stand by the people of Telangana, and will put their interests before anything else."
Kumar then appealed to the people of Khammam to support the TRS in the upcoming MLC elections and to reject the BJP's candidates.
Former Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao also voiced his agreement for Kumar's statements, and assailed the Centre for the fuel price hikes.
"The Indian Centre is unable to control fuel prices despite the low cost of crude oil in the international market. Why has there been this huge rise in the prices at a time when the poor are just about regaining economic stability after the Covid-19 pandemic? The Centre should take steps to reduce the prices immediately. If it fails to do so, the people will soon reject it," Rao said.
He also accused the Modi government of going on a "looting spree" in the country, and slammed it for the rise in the prices of several essential commodities.
Yesterday, candidate Palla Rajeshwar Reddy had himself gone to the town of Suryapet as part of his campaign for the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal MLC seat.
As the MLC elections in the two graduate constituencies, Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal, draw closer, the exchange of allegations between the political parties in the state is becoming more and more heated - just yesterday, TPCC head and MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy
lashed out at both the TRS and the BJP, and alleged that neither party had fulfilled any of the election-time promises they had made to the people.