HYDERABAD : BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday asserted that no one can finish off the BRS.
Speaking during the decennial celebrations of the Telangana Formation Day at the party office here, Rao described the BRS as a 25-year-old tree that has a strong foundation.
Stating that it was “not easy to finish off the BRS”, he said: “The Congress was in the Opposition before the Assembly elections. But it wasn’t finished off. Now, the BRS is in the Opposition, but we will make a comeback.”
“A person recently met me and said that the BRS will win 105 Assembly seats if the elections are held now,” he said.
“Some people without any knowledge are saying that the BRS will be finished off. Mokali antha yettu lenivaadu kooda matladutunnadu (a person who is not of knees’ height is also bragging). But is it easy to finish off the BRS? No,” Rao said and added that the defeat in Assembly elections was a temporary setback and it was natural in politics.
He said that the his party fought for separate Telangana for 15 years from 1999 to 2014 and later, it was in power for 10 years. “The BRS is like an ocean and it cannot be dismissed (just like that),” he said.
Stating that there was some despair in the cadre due to the defeat in the Assembly elections, he said: “After I started my bus yatra, the mood of the cadre has changed.”
He said that the BRS lost by just 1.8 per cent votes as people believed in the assurances of the Congress. “Politics is a continuous process. When people gave us the Opposition role, we have to play that role,” he said.
Cong govt’s days numbered
The BRS chief alleged that the ruling Congress failed to implement its assurances. The Congress hoodwinked all sections of the people like toddy tappers and others, he alleged. “The days of the present government are numbered. The graph of the present government is falling very fast,” he said.
Alleging that there were power cuts in the state, he said: “Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy says T Harish Rao is not allowing the linemen to work. Who is the CM? Harish Rao or Revanth Reddy?”
Referring to the Lok Sabha exit polls, Rao said that some surveys predicted 11 seats for the BRS, one predicted just one seat and another predicted two to four seats.
“Let’s see what happens. We are expecting good results but we are least bothered about the outcome. We will neither be overwhelmed if we get 11 seats nor we will be demoralised if get only two to three seats. Whatever be the outcome, the BRS will remain the rakshana kavacham (protective shield) of Telangana. We should continue our political journey, irrespective of victories or defeats,” Rao said and wanted the cadre to start a new movement to protect the interests of people. He advised the cadre not to panic over the election results.