Kodad, Telangana:

Hitting out at the Congress party for never having protected the interests of Telangana when some of the irrigation projects were constructed during their tenures (in undivided Andhra Pradesh), BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said his party will protect the state like the armour of Karna.

Speaking at a rally here in the run-up to the November 30 Assembly elections, the Telangana Chief Minister KCR, seeking votes for his party’s candidate, said the state has been progressing and became number one in several parameters such as per capita income and power.

Taking a dig at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, KCR said he is talking in Telangana about Siddaramaiah-led government’s five hours of free power to farmers where BRS government offers 24 hours free power to peasants.

“BRS protects Telangana like the legendary Karna’s Kavach (from the Mahabharat). BRS was born for Telangana state, its development and to protect Telangana people and their rights,” he said.

“Congress leaders never thought of irrigation projects that would benefit Telangana people,” KCR hit out, referring to the Nagarjuna Sagar irrigation project.

Narrating the promises in the BRS manifesto, KCR said amounts for social pensions and Rythu Bandhu will be increased in a phased manner.

KCR said Telangana which used to witness drought and migrations, has been witnessing development owing to peace and tranquility.

“Telangana is number one in per capita income and per capita power consumption. Earlier the per capita power consumption now doubled to 2200 units from the earlier 1100 units,” he added.

Without naming the Congress, he alleged the Muslims and Dalits were treated as vote-banks earlier. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has sought to know why the BJP does not get “Backward Classes caste census” conducted if it was so concerned about the community.

The statement comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced at a rally in Suryapet to make a Backward Class (BC) leader as Chief Minister of Telangana if the BJP was voted to power after the November 30 assembly polls in the state.

Addressing a public meeting at Zaheerabad on Friday night Mr Owaisi called BJP and Congress twins and said the two parties will not be successful in the Telangana assembly polls.

“Amit Shah sahab, I am telling you with responsibility. You and Congress have become ‘oule zoule bhai-behan’ (twins). Nothing is going to happen for you people (in favour of) in Telangana. It will be ‘bye, bye’ for you,” he said.

“I would like to ask Amit Shah. If you are so sympathetic towards backward class, why you don’t get BC census conducted,” he said.

Neither PM Narendra Modi nor Congress leader Rahul Gandhi supported his demand for sub quota for OBC and Muslim women in the women’s reservation bill passed in Parliament, Mr Owaisi claimed.

Referring to former MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who returned to Congress after quitting BJP this week, he wondered whether Congress has become a “washing machine”. Owaisi, however, did not mention Raj Gopal Reddy’s name.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s comments about AIMIM having a tacit understanding with the BJP, the AIMIM leader asked how did Rahul Gandhi lose in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 elections.

Congress and BJP were in direct contest in 185 seats in 2019 but former won in only 16 and he (Owaisi) had no role to play there, he said.

“How did you (Congress) lose there?” he asked.

Mr Owaisi reiterated his appeal to support ‘mamu’ (BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) where AIMIM is not in the fray in the polls.

“Now, it is known from Zaheerabad and Munugode (where Raj Gopal Reddy lost bypoll on BJP ticket last year) that both BJP and Congress are ‘oule, zoule bhai (twins),” he said.

He also spoke about a book given to him titled ‘Congress is mother of RSS’.

Mr Owaisi stressed that people will be given importance wherever regional parties are in power.

“If they both (national parties BJP and Congress) come to power, then there will not be anyone to address your problems,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Unaccounted cash, gold and other valuables and freebies worth over Rs 165 crore were seized in poll-bound Telangana till Wednesday as part of enforcement of model code of conduct which came into force in the state on October 9.

A total of Rs 77.87 crore in cash, gold, silver and other valuables worth around Rs 62.73 crore, besides liquor worth over Rs 8.99 crore, ganja valued at Rs 7.55 crore and other items/ freebies worth Rs 8.64 crore were seized, according to a statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday.

From October 9 (when the schedule for the Telangana Assembly elections was announced) till October 18 (9 AM), the total cumulative seizures by law enforcement agencies is valued at over Rs 165 crore, it said.

The state goes to the polls on November 30. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Weeks before Telangana votes, the Congress has hit out at Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, claiming that he does not have the guts to face an election without using cash or alcohol to lure voters.

Dramatic scenes played out at Telangana Martyrs Memorial yesterday, when state Congress chief Revanth Reddy was detained after he dared the Chief Minister to come to the memorial and join him in taking a vow that their parties won’t use cash or liquor in the polls.

Mr Reddy threw the challenge at KCR, also the chief of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, after its leaders alleged that the Congress was distributing cash, liquor and other gifts among voters.

The state Congress chief and his supporters reached the memorial at noon yesterday. As he tried to enter, police took him under preventive custody. He was released shortly after.

In a tweet, Mr Reddy said KCR does not have the guts to seek votes without distributing money or liquor.

Earlier, BRS working president and KCR’s son K T Rama Rao and the Chief Minister’s nephew T Harish Rao had alleged that the Karnataka Congress was sponsoring the party’s Telangana campaign and sending Rs 1,500 crore to ensure a victory in Telangana.

The allegations and counter allegations come amid massive seizures of unaccounted cash and liquor ahead of the election. In just eight days since the model code of conduct came into force, recovery worth Rs 130 crores have been made. Contrast this to the total recovery of 103 crores in the run-up to the 2018 polls.

Over Rs 71 crore in cash, liquor worth Rs 7.75 crore, ganja worth Rs 4.58 crore, jewellery worth over Rs 40 crore and other freebies like laptops, cookers, sarees, sewing machines worth Rs 6.29 crore have been recovered so far, the Election Commission has said.

New Delhi:

The YSR Telangana Party will contest all 119 seats in next month’s Assembly election, YS Sharmila said Thursday, putting an end to speculation her outfit will ally with the Congress to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi. She said she had waited four months for that deal. “Now no one can blame us for splitting the anti-KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao) vote. We tried our best,” she said, adding she will contest from Palair and maybe a second location too.

Ms Sharmila, who is also Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister, also said there were demand for her mother YS Vijayalakshmi and husband Anil Kumar to contest. “If needed they will also contest. My mother has said she will do whatever (is) needed to support me. She made that promise when I launched my party… that she will stand by me,” she said.

Telangana will vote on November 30 and results will declared on December 3.

READ | 5 States To Vote From November 7 To 30, Results On December 3

Two weeks ago she had said a “final decision” on any alliance with the Congress will be taken by end-September. “If no alliance fructifies, the party will contest all 119 constituencies,” the party said.

YS Sharmila met Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi last month, after which she claimed “constructive discussions” and warned KCR to expect defeat.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

But Telangana Congress boss Revanth Reddy later told NDTV there was no question of her allying with the national party.

Reports suggested the Congress wanted the YSRTP leader to work with her brother to revive the national party in Andhra Pradesh, which will hold an Assembly election next year.

YS Sharmila ruled that out and her brother has distanced himself from her political activities.

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in 2021 to bring the YSR family, or ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ to the state – in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of her efforts, she went on a 3,800-km state-wide march.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people… so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.