NIZAMABAD: Back in his elements after a brief lull, TRS supremo and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday launched a stinging attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, calling him a thief and traitor of Telangana. Also in the line of fire were “cheap Congress fellows” who have “betrayed Telangana through and through” and the grand old party’s Grand Alliance.
‘’I may have a foul mouth, but I am the Chief Minister and therefore cannot stoop to the level of these cheap fellows. Do you want to give the reins (of Telangana) to a thief like Chandrababu Naidu who was caught red-handed in the cash-for-vote scam? He is a traitor who has consistently worked against the interests of Telangana. Do you want to be the slaves of Amaravati or New Delhi? It is appalling how the Congress, which killed nearly 400 Telugu youth (in 1968), and Naidu, who wrote 36 letters to stop irrigation projects in Telangana, formed an alliance. How can they have the audacity to even face the State?” Rao fumed during his second public meeting in Nizamabad.
The pink party chief’s verbal diatribe against the Congress and the TDP is bound to intensify in the face of nearing elections. “Naidu is responsible for 100 Telanganites dying in encounters... He is a traitor who snatched away seven mandals of our State. He is responsible for TS not getting a share in the Sileru Power Plant located in Andhra Pradesh. How can the Congress sail with such a durmargudu (wicked person)? Naidu plans to spend Rs 500 crore in campaigning ahead of the elections. He will provide three helicopters for Congress ahead of the polls,” Rao alleged during his one-hour-long power-packed speech.
Pooh-poohing the TDP-Congress dalliance, Rao wondered how the grand old party could ally with a “demon” like Naidu.
“Had they (opposition parties) asked me, the TRS would have given five or more seats to them. Thoo mee batukulu Cheda,’’ he said in disgust.
Taking on N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Rao said the public could judge the TPCC president’s character themselves.
“Uttam Kumar Reddy called me battebaaz (deciever). Am I a battebaaz ? Rao wondered aloud, evoking a chorus of “nays” from the teeming crowd. “You can assess my character and that of Uttam Kumar Reddy’s. Let your answer be your vote,” he said.
The TRS supremo was equally unsparing of the BJP. Referring to the saffron party’s manifesto which promises the payment of house rents up to Rs 5,000 for weaker sections, Rao said: “Narendra Modi promised that he would bring back black money stashed abroad. Let him first deposit `15 lakh into the bank accounts of each citizen as assured. I will pay the house rent for BJP leaders,” Rao said, making light of the promise which he said was unheard of anywhere in the world.
“The Congress and the BJP are coming up with impractical poll assurances,’’ he alleged. “Think wisely and let us reshape our lives along with our own leaders. We should not be the slaves of Amaravati or New Delhi,” Rao asserted.