HYDERABAD: Alleging that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has a direct line that he uses to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the former’s opposition to the latter is only for public consumption.
“TRS does drama before elections, but the Chief Minister has a direct line with Narendra Modi. KCR rings from here (Hyderabad), Modi answers and gives orders on what KCR has to do today and tomorrow,” Rahul alleged.
He was addressing a corner meeting as part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra at the Indira Gandhi statue at Necklace Road in the presence of newly-elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior State leaders.
Accusing the TRS and BJP of supporting each other, Rahul said that on top of supporting all the Bills introduced by the BJP government, the TRS tries to divert the attention of the people by bringing in different issues when the Opposition is fighting against the government in Parliament.
Bad economic policies
Underlining the rate of unemployment in the State as well as the country due to the “bad economic policies” of the government, he said that neither the Chief Minister nor the Prime Minister talk about employment though they have come to power by promising lakhs of and crores of jobs.
“TRS and BJP are one and the same and work the same; people should not fall in their trap,” Rahul cautioned.Expressing concerns over the issues faced by farmers, he said that they do not get profits even after toiling for 24 hours as the TRS and BJP-led governments are not extending any help even in getting remunerative prices for their produce.
Potholes and pollution
Taking a jibe at the TRS supremo, Rahul said, “I thought Delhi is the most polluted city, but I got to know it’s Hyderabad as the TRS government is keeping the standards of infrastructure very low. And, the number of potholes are more.”Admiring the progress of Hyderabad in the IT sector, Rahul said that hate and violence should be defeated if the people want to continue building Hyderabad’s brand value.
Cong against hate: Kharge
Kharge said that the Modi government and RSS were trying to divide the nation and spread hate among the people on the basis of caste, class, creed, religion, and language. “Hyderabad is one such city where all religions live harmoniously. I feel this to be my home, I have met people from Hyderabad regularly in my 55 years of political life,” Kharge said.
Reminding the Chief Minister how separate Telangana was formed, Kharge said, “KCR has forgotten the essence and basis of why Sonia Gandhi gave Telangana. It has become his family’s interest rather than the larger interests of the people.” He sought to know how long the PM and CM would continue to deceive the people.“Modi alleges that Congress hasn’t done anything in 70 years. If it is the case, Modi would not have become the Prime Minister,” Kharge said.
All charm at Charminar
Earlier, the surroundings of the historical Charminar were illuminated in the colours of the national flag that was hoisted by Rahul to commemorate the Sadbhavana Yatra launched by his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 to promote peace and harmony.Rahul tweeted: “32 years ago, Papa started his Sadbhavna Yatra from Charminar. He sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of India. Goodwill is the most unique value of humanity. I, and the Congress, will not allow it to collapse in the face of any divisive force.”
Locals, tourists and Congress workers gathered in large numbers to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.