HYDERABAD: Five public meetings, K Chandrasekhar Rao addressed on the third consecutive day of his marathon electioneering, and Grand Alliance continued to be the topic of fancy for the TRS supremo. “Do you want to live like slaves of Amaravati?” he asked the crowds gathered to hear him on Wednesday, in Jadcherla, Devarakonda, Nakrekal, Bhongir and Medak.
“Did we achieve Statehood to accept the leadership of Andhra Pradesh again?” He claimed that it was the Telangana Congress leaders and not their Delhi bosses, who are “carrying Naidu on their shoulders” back into Telangana. “Beat the Andhra leader who is coming back into Telangana,” he urged the crowd, while adding that “beat” meant to defeat him electorally, not physical assault.
“The parties carrying Naidu on their shoulders must disappear,” KCR said, adding that Naidu is taking Congress cover to return to the State. “Do you accept the leadership of Naidu,” he asked the crowds at all five meetings, and the supporters gathered answered in negative. “The Congress daddammalu are unable to beat me and hence seeking refuge in Naidu,” he claimed. His poll-cry reached a feverish pitch in Devarakonda, where he also revisited his long-standing claim of entering the national political scene. “I will ‘interfere’ in national politics in the coming days, but will not leave for Delhi,” he claimed.
“I will stay in Hyderabad and form a non-BJP, non-Congress Federal Front,” he said, adding that both the national parties were like “brothers” and there was no difference between them except the colour of their flags. He justified the need for a Federal Front by claiming that national parties had usurped powers of State governments, and thereby the rights of tribals, Dalits and other weaker sections of the society. “I will fight with Delhi for the rights of the tribals,” he said.
He continued to harp on the developmental activities undertaken by his government. He said there were no low-voltage problems or defects with motorized pumps in farms as there was uninterrupted electricity. Highlighting the Kanti-Velugu programme, he said ENT medical camps would be conducted across the State.
Women try to leave
Medak: They left their homes at 12 noon and travelled in tractors and DCM vans from their villages all way to Medak to hear KCR speak. But, after a six-hour-long wait, they were in no mood to listen to the outgoing Chief Minister. They were told that the CM would arrive at 4 pm, but he did not. Cultural programmes were organised but they failed to keep the women enthused.
Finally, TRS leaders started addressing the crowd, and still some weren’t impressed. When a few women tried to leave the venue while senior leader Harish Rao was speaking, they were forced to return to their seats by police on security duty. KCR finally arrived at 6 pm, but a few minutes into their speech, some of them managed to leave. A few women alleged that the TRS had failed to keep up promises made during the last elections.