Sounding the poll bugle in Telangana, Congress leader Rahul GandhiCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that with the BJP fizzling out in the state, it will be a straight fight between the Congress and the BRS which according to him stands for “BJP’s Rishtedar Party” in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Gandhi addressed a huge public rally at Khammam in South Telangana and repeatedly called the BRS as the B Team of the saffron party and that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao does everything to appease the Prime Minister since his remote control is in the hands of Mr Modi. Their involvement in the liquor scam had left the chief minister vulnerable to the BJP.
He also revealed that because of the objections raised by the Congress, the BRS was not even invited to the meetings to hammer out Opposition unity.
“In Delhi prior to the Opposition meeting, we were told that we need to invite the TRS (BRS). We told them if the TRS gets invited, then the Congress will not turn up. TRS is the B team of the BJP. We will not sit with them. We will get rid of the BRS. We can never have an understanding with the BJP’s B team,” said Gandhi.
He also took a dig at the ruling party saying that the name change from TRS to BRS (BJP Rishtedar Party) reflected the role they play as the B team of the saffron party.
Gandhi said that the BJP has fizzled out in Telangana. “BJP has met its end in Telangana. It is like a car stranded on the highway with all four tyres punctured. The fight will be between the Congress and the B team of the BJP,” said the former Congress president.
Reminding his audience of the victory of Congress in neighbouring Karnataka, he said that his party fought against a corrupt and anti-poor government and threw it out.
The same thing will be repeated in Telangana claimed Gandhi while adding that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was running a corrupt government with his family members and some businessmen and snatching away the rights of the Dalits, tribals, underprivileged and the deprived. The Congress today promised to give Rs 4000 as pension to senior citizens and widows and distribute forest pattas among tribal families.
While former BRS MP from Khammam Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy today joined the Congress, Gandhi said that their doors were open, inviting all those who had left the Congress in the past to return to the party fold.