HYDERABAD: Vowing to never allow the Kalvakuntla family to return to power in the state as long as he remained in politics, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday launched a blistering counter to BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao’s remarks against him.
Responding to KCR’s remark, “toolu teesta” (I will flay you alive), the chief minister said that if he started using similar language, the BRS chief would take the extreme step of hanging himself at Ranganayakasagar or jumping into Mallannasagar.
Asserting that he would ensure the Congress retains power in the next election with about 80% of the seats, Revanth thundered: “This is our challenge. As long as I am in politics, I will not allow the Kalvakuntla family to come to power again. This is my vow. There is no future for the BRS.”
“In the next elections, if the seats are 119, Congress will win about 80 seats. If the seats increase to 153, then Congress will come to power again with about 100 seats,” the chief minister promised.
Addressing the gathering after felicitating newly elected sarpanches from Kodangal constituency at Kosgi in Narayanapet mandal, Revanth thundered: “KCR said that he will remove my skin. Newly elected sarpanches are here. Come... not only will they remove your skin, they will tie you up and beat you at Chintamadaka. Come… will you come to Kodangal or should I send the sarpanches to Chintamadaka?”
Targeting BRS working president KT Rama Rao, Revanth pointed out that the BRS leader returned from the USA, where he cleaned utensils, and became a minister by using his father’s name. “I come from a farming community and a small village. I did not do passport broker business like them. I never cheated anyone by saying I would send them to Dubai,” he added.
Will run Assembly as long as KCR wants if he attends: CM
Referring to Kavitha’s exit from the BRS, Revanth said: “KTR has thrown his own sister out of the house, thinking about where to give her a share in the assets procured with looted money.”
He dared KCR to attend the forthcoming Assembly session. He said: “I ask KCR to come to the Assembly which will sit from December 29. We are ready to run the Assembly for as many days as he requests. Let us debate all the issues you propose.”
He said that KCR had left the state with a burden of `8 lakh crore, creating problems for development, including the construction of projects. “For the last two years, I have been working for 18 hours a day to make Telangana No. 1 in all sectors and to rectify the mistakes of the previous government,” Revanth added.
He alleged that KCR harassed him and his family by filing 181 cases and sending him to jail. He said: “I am not taking revenge. God has already punished him. On the day I took oath as chief minister, he fell down and his leg joint was displaced.
There is no greater punishment than this, not even jail. KCR himself turned his farmhouse into a detention centre. Whether he is in Charlapalli Jail, Chanchalguda Jail or the farmhouse makes no difference.” Despite BRS leaders committing many offences, the government had not lodged cases against them as it was not pursuing vendetta politics, he added.
Revanth said that in 10 years of rule, the previous BRS government had not completed even a single irrigation project, especially on the Krishna river.
“Though the people of Mahbubnagar elected KCR to the Lok Sabha in 2009, he did injustice to the district by not completing projects that provide water. KCR paid over Rs 1.84 lakh crore to contractors, with thousands of crores received as commission,” the chief minister charged.
He alleged: “These people earlier had no slippers to wear. Now they have acquired Benz cars, a 1,000-acre farmhouse at Erravalli and a 100-acre farmhouse at Janwada, and established businesses worth crores. But they did nothing for the people.”
Special grants for panchayats
The chief minister announced special funds for Gram Panchayats. He said the government would provide Rs 10 lakh for major gram panchayats and Rs 5 lakh for smaller gram panchayats as a special development fund, in addition to funds received under the Finance Commission.
He suggested that all sarpanches prepare development plans for their respective villages. Asking village leaders to set aside local rivalries, he advised newly elected sarpanches to provide better and quality services to people in the villages.