KCR Tries to Woo Minorities with Deputy CM Post

The KCR

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao addressing an election meeting at Jagitial on Monday. Nizamabad TRS MP candidate and KCR’s daughter Kavita is also seen

Dismissing the charges levelled against him by the Congress, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has made it clear that he is keen on his promise of making a minority leader the deputy chief minister of the Telangana state.

He was addressing a large gathering at Jagitial in Karimangar district on Monday.

In his bid to woo minority voters, the TRS boss further said, “I will give two prominent posts in the Cabinet to my minority brethren.” He will personally ensure implementation of 12 percent reservation for minorities and see to it that the Wakf Board is given judicial powers so that it can reclaim its encroached lands, he said.

Continuing with his Congress bashing, Rao said none of the Congress leaders participated in the Telangana movement and instead tried to suppress Telangana sentiment using money and muscle power at every juncture. Jagtial people are witness to Congress leaders’ attempts to suppress the T- sentiment, he said.

The TRS chief, who addressed a series of meetings, painted Congress as anti-Telangana. Congress will not get more than 25 Assembly seats, he said. “Was it not the Congress leaders from Telangana who were hand in glove with YS Rajasekhara Reddy and spent more than `180 crore for defeating me and Telangana sentiment during byelections for Assembly constituencies in Telangana. Even when they had spent money and liquor like water in the villages, you, Telangana people, have stood by TRS and KCR,” he said.

Raising his pitch against TPCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, he dared the Congress leader to prove the allegations that he (KCR) had amassed wealth illegally. “If he has gusts, let him have an inquiry against me and my wealth. If I had resorted to any corruption, would YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu, and 14 Seemandhra media houses sit silently?” he asked.

He reiterated that he had never gone back on his promise.“In November 2010, I have announced in Karimnagar that there will be a war with Congress. Here it is,” he said. Recalling that Congress boss Sonia Gandhi in her speech at Karimnagar had said that TRS had no role in passing the T-bill, he asked Ponnala to explain what relationship does Congress and TRS have. “Stop talking nonsense. You remained silent for the sake of post and power and have no moral right to speak about TRS,” he said and threatened to teach Ponnala a lesson if he does not refrain from making baseless allegations.

At Manthani, TRS chief lambasted former minister D Sridhara Babu and said it was Sridhar, as a minister, who ordered the beating up of T-agitators. He said people of Manthani are fed up with the Congress leader and would teach him a lesson in the elections. He described TDP chief N Chandrabab Naidu as Andhra Babu and wondered what was the necessity of an Andhra party in Telangana. 

At all the public meetings, KCR reiterated several of his promises from the TRS manifesto.