HYDERABAD: Contending that “special conditions” were prevailing in the country, TRS working president KT Rama Rao attacked PM Narendra Modi and BJP, albeit indirectly, on Saturday. Religion, politics and nationalism are intertwined now, he said, explaining the apparent situation: “If you are with me you are a patriot. If you are not with me, you’re a traitor”.
Addressing the third State conference of Telangana Vikasa Samithi (TVS) in Hyderabad, Rama Rao indirectly compared PM Modi with former US President, George W Bush. “Some had opposed the then-president Bush’s decision to declare war against Afghanistan and Iraq, after 9/11. At the time, Bush had said ‘you are either with me or against me’,” he recalled.
The Sircilla MLA claimed a similar situation was prevalent in India today. “There is no value for friendly opposition. If we lose the right to question, then democracy will be in danger,” he said. Rao even recalled how many had opposed his tweet against BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. “When Sadhvi Pragya made a statement, terming Nathuram Godse a ‘patriot’, several patriots were riled up. I too tweeted against her comments. But many supported Sadhvi Pragya. It really pained me. We are in a time when we can’t even respect Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.
On State’s philosophy in such matters, he said, “From Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to Radical Student Union (RSU) Telangana Vadam (philosophy) was so strong that it brought all ideologies on to one platform.”