'Congress will play key role in formation of government at Centre': Telangana Minister Uttam
NALGONDA: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday expressed confidence in the state Congress playing a key role in formation of government at the Centre by securing 15 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.
The minister campaigned for Congress Nalgonda candidate K Raghuveer Reddy in Devarkonda.
Speaking on the occasion, Uttam said: “There is a wave in favour of Congress in Telangana. We will surely secure 14 to 15 Lok Sabha seats here and play a key role in formation of a Congress-led government at the Centre.”
He also claimed that the Congress will retain the Nalgonda seat with highest majority in the country. Targeting the BRS and BJP, he said that the two parties have no to right to seek votes in the Lok Sabha elections. “During their 10-year rule, the BRS and BJP neglected Telangana and deceived its people,” he said.
“Not a single assurance given under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act was fulfilled by the Modi government while the BRS remained a mute spectator. The BRS also misappropriated and swindled thousands of crores of public money. It pushed Telangana into a debt trap,” he said, urging people to reject both parties in the upcoming elections.
‘Paanch Nyay will deliver justice to all sections’
Stating that the Congress has implemented five out of the six guarantees it promised to the people of Telangana within 100 days of coming to power, he said that all remaining promises would be implemented after the Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to the party’s national manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’ unveiled by Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Tukkuguda on April 6, Uttam also said that ‘Paanch Nyay’ (five justice) will deliver justice to all sections of society.
“The Congress’ Paanch Nyay, which includes Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay, comprises a total of 25 guarantees. This will ensure that justice is delivered to youth, women, farmers and workers besides guaranteeing social justice,” he said.
Accusing the BJP-led NDA government of deceiving unemployed youth with the false promises of creating two crore jobs annually, Uttam said that the Congress did not resort to such “jumlas” and prepared a realistic manifesto by consulting thousands of people.
Claiming that the Congress has filled around 30,000 vacancies in different departments within 100 days of forming government in Telangana, he said that his party, after winning the Lok Sabha elections, will immediately fill 30 lakh vacancies.
“Here in Telangana, we have increased the health cover under the Aarogyasri from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. When the Congress forms government at the Centre, we will provide cashless health insurance of up to Rs 25 lakh,” he said.
Amend RTE Act to offer free education
Uttam also said that the Congress-led UPA government had transformed education system for children aged six to 14 years by introducing the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009. “The RTE Act would be amended to make education for Class I to XII in public schools compulsory and free,” he said.
Referring to the promise made by the Congress to conduct caste census if voted to power, he said: “A nationwide socio-economic and caste census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions would ensure equitable distribution of resources and opportunities among all sections of the society.”
The minister urged people to assess the performance of the UPA government from 2004 to 2014 and that of Congress in Telangana in the last five months, and compare it with the failures of BRS and the BJP governments in the last 10 years before casting their votes in the upcoming LS elections.