HYDERABAD: TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to announce some sops to voters on Tuesday which will be included in the TRS manifesto later. The TRS’ manifesto committee is scheduled to meet at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday. The meeting assumes significance as the party is under tremendous pressure following the announcement of several freebies to voters by the Congress and the BJP.
Though no political party in the state has released its manifesto for the forthcoming Assembly elections yet, leaders of the respective parties have already promised people everything under the sky. PCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the Congress if voted to power, would waive Rs 2 lakh crop loan to farmers at one go. This shook the rank and file of the TRS and several key functionaries in villages were anxiously awaiting the party’s announcement on measures for the welfare of farmers to counter the Congress’ assurance.
Recently, a mandal-level leader of TRS from Siddipet, who had been in the Congress for more than three decades, felt that the TRS should announce waiver of crop loan at least up to Rs 1 lakh.“The Congress had assured Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver in the last elections too but people did not believe that party and elected the TRS which promised only Rs1 lakh waiver. This time too people will not trust the Congress. But, if the TRS announced a waiving of even Rs1 lakh loan at one go, people will lap it up,” a senior leader said and conveyed it to a key minister in Hyderabad recently.
In this backdrop, the manifesto committee is meeting under the leadership of the chief minister. According to party sources, Rao may announce some sops to people on Tuesday though the party take some more time to release the final manifesto. Rao may announce some promises so that its candidates, who are vigorously touring their respective constituencies, may relay these assurances to the people, a party leader said.