HYDERABAD: Two months after the launch of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao succeeded in bringing “like-minded non-BJP and non-Congress leaders” — three chief ministers and two Opposition leaders on one platform — to take on the “anti-people” policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As a mammoth crowd cheered him on at the Khammam public meeting, Rao, flanked by his counterparts of New Delhi, Punjab and Kerala and Left party leaders elaborated upon his agenda for a better India. Emphasising upon the need to “boot out the divisive BJP”, Rao, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Singh Mann, Pinarayi Vijayan and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Singh Yadav took turns to explain to the crowd the need for a change at the Centre. The bonhomie among the leaders appeared to indicate a possible alliance at the national level. The BRS chief surmised that while the pink party stood for nationalisation, the BJP was only vocal for privatisation for easy profits.
Khammam, a district which is known for its secular, leftist leanings, seemed to form the ideal backdrop for the fervent appeals of the leaders against “religious sectarianism”, which they said was the BJP’s only philosophy.
While Rao spoke of ending water wars and improving the lot of farmers by taking his schemes like free power and Rythu Bandhu to a national platform, Vijayan described the meeting as a new beginning where like-minded people and parties would fight to topple the BJP.
Blaming both the Congress and the BJP for the present-day problems of the country, the BRS chief said that if BRS is voted to power it would implement Dalit Bandhu, Mission Bhagiratha, Rythu Bandhu and other schemes of Telangana across the country. “We will provide free power to tillers across the country like in Telangana. It will cost around Rs 1.45 lakh crore per year. We will also nationalise the Visakhapatnam Steel Factory, if it is sold by the Narendra Modi government,” Rao declared. The power sector too would remain under government control. Rao declared that the Agnipath scheme would be cancelled once BRS formed the government at the Centre.
KCR goes national, but vocal for local
Taking enormous care not to lose sight of the local map while trying to go national, Rao announced funds for Gram Panchayats and the Khammam Corporation, much to the delight of the locals watching him speak.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that people who had voted for BJP twice at the Centre were now vexed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were now waiting for 2024 to replace the BJP, he insisted.
“Even after 75 years of Independence, the country is still backward due to bad and dirty politics and political leaders, whereas Singapore and Japan which were devastated by the World War are marching forward in all fields,” Kejriwal said.
Today Governors were dancing to the tunes of Prime Minister Modi. As per the instructions of the Prime Minister, the governors were harassing non-BJP ruled state Chief Ministers. “I don’t blame the governors. They are innocent and merely acting at the behest of the Centre to harass opposition party CMs,” Kejriwal said.
“Unemployment is the biggest problem in the country, inflation is high but the PM is not bothered. Instead, he is harassing non-BJP CMs through CBI and other agencies,” the Delhi CM alleged.
Lauding the Kanti Velugu programme (free eye-screening), Kejriwal declared that he would implement the same in Delhi. He appeared equally effusive about the Telangana’s Integrated District Collectorate complexes. Attacking the BJP, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: “The country’s sovereignty, secularism, democracy and socialism are under threat.”
Vijayan said that the “One nation-one tax, One nation, one election” proposals were an outright attack on the federal structure of the country. Extending his support to the BRS, Pinarayi affirmed: “Kerala and its people are with KCR.”
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said BJP means “Jhumla party” which has deceived people by not providing two crore jobs per year as assured. It had failed to deposit Rs 15 lakh into the accounts of the poor. He said that Kanti Velugu scheme would be implemented in Punjab too. Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP government at Delhi had only 400 days more to rule. “After 400 days, the BJP government will not be there at the Centre,” Yadav said.
“I congratulate KCR garu for the innovative measures he has taken for providing good governance to the people of Telangana, said CPI general secretary D Raja. “The republic of the country is in danger and in crisis. The BJP and the RSS are posing a grave threat to the democracy of the country. The RSS-BJP combine want to change the fundamental tenets of the country. They want to replace secular state with a theocratic state. Liberate the country from the BJP’s rule. This meeting should convey such message to the people,” Raja said.