KT Rama Rao to reach out to Ponnala Lakshmaiah today

He said that farmers, weaker sections, minorities, women and other sections would be given importance in the BRS manifesto.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao. (File photo)

HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday said that he would personally meet former minister and ex-PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah on Saturday. He was responding to a query during in an informal chat with the reporters on Ponnala quitting Congress.“If he (Ponnala) is willing to join the BRS, I will personally meet him tomorrow,” Rama Rao said, adding that there were “so many leaders” who want to join the BRS. Though the BRS is overcrowded, it could still accommodate senior leaders from other parties, he said.

Rama Rao said that the party had already completed its first round of campaign across the State and it also announced 114 candidates. He, however, ridiculed that the Congress has no strong candidates in around 40 segments. “The Congress has no winnable candidates in 25 seats in the erstwhile Rangareddy and Hyderabad districts. People are laughing at Congress leaders, who are claiming that they will win around 70 to 75 Assembly seats,” he said.

Alleging that the Congress was pursuing politics with “money bags”, he said, “When an aspirant sought a ticket to contest in the elections, the Congress demanded Rs 15 crore and also wanted the aspirant to spend Rs 10 crore in the electioneering. Some people think that they will become popular leaders by contesting in Assembly elections and that’s why they are trying for Congress tickets.”

The Congress was exposing its political bankruptcy by indulging in politics of money, he alleged. “The Congress government in Karnataka has already earned a reputation that it is a 50 per cent commission government,” he said.

Asked about Etala Rajender’s plans to contest from Gajwel, Rama Rao said that he welcomes the former’s decision. “Anyone can contest from any segment. Maybe, the BJP has no candidates. Rajender decided to contest from two segments,” Rama Rao quipped.YSRTP president YS Sharmila too can contest from 119 Assembly segments, he said.

Focus on middle-class

Rama Rao said that BRS manifesto would mainly focus on the middle class this time. He said that farmers, weaker sections, minorities, women and other sections would be given importance in the manifesto.

‘Understand Lokesh’s feelings’

Reacting to Nara Lokesh’s tweet on N Chandrababu Naidu’s health, KT Rama Rao said that it pained him. He said that he could understand the feelings of a son as he felt the same during KCR’s indefinite fast for the sake of separate Telangana. Rama Rao, however, said that the State government was not allowing any agitations in the State on Naidu’s arrest as its wants peace in Hyderabad.

What KTR said

• The fight is between Telangana, Delhi and Gujarat. Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said that one Gujarati (Patel) liberated Telangana and another Gujarati (Modi) will free Telangana. It is KCR who realised separate Telangana. The fight is between self-respect of Telangana, unbridled arrogance of Modi and Delhi’s egotism.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is not a leader. He is a reader, who comes and reads the prepared script.
• Like a father who enquires about the antecedents of prospective bridegroom for his girl and selects the right person, the people of the State are considering KCR as the best choice to lead Telangana.
• BRS will emerge as a national party on its own.
• Congress leaders are copycats. They copied the schemes of BRS in their manifesto and assured to give more money under the schemes.