Kickstarting the BJP’s campaign in Telangana with a public rally at Adilabad, Union home minister Amit Shah slammed chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and alleged that for the past 10 years, he only made plans to ensure his son KT Rama becomes the next chief minister, while neglecting the poor in the state.

Addressing the first public rally of the BJP after the election dates were announced, Shah on Tuesday said contrary to KCR’s (as Rao is popularly called) claim, Telangana was actually number one among the states in terms of farmers’ suicides, crime against women and children, and corruption.

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“You have two choices – one is KCR, who works only for his son and daughter, and on the other hand you have Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who thinks of Dalits, poor and adivasis,” Shah said. He further added that Telangana requires a “double-engine government” and went on to explain that it would mean “Modiji at the top (Centre) and below (state) as well.”

He said with the advent of the election season the Congress leaders will don new clothes and descend on the state.

“The Congress leaders don new clothes and visit as soon as election season starts. Recently, Rahul Gandhi also came to the state. How much budget did your UPA government allocate for tribal welfare in 2013-14? It was only Rs 24,000 crore, and now, in 2023-24, under the Modi government this has become Rs 1,24,000 crore,” claimed Shah.

The Union home minister also promised that if his party wins, then Liberation Day will be celebrated in every district of the state. Listing out the achievements of the Modi-led government, Shah cited the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. He also cited local issues, such as the establishment of a central tribal university and solving Telangana’s water woes through Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal II, while blaming KCR for the delay.

Meanwhile, BRS supporters tried to block the Union home minister’s convoy and show black flags demanding reopening of the Cement Corporation of India.