KCR vows to form federal front
TRS PLENARY Telangana CM accuses Cong and BJP of cheating country, says will end their dominance at Centre
HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday vowed to bring all regional parties in the country under one umbrella to form a federal front that would end dual-party dominance in central politics.
Addressing a gathering of over 3,000 delegates at the 17th plenary of the TRS at Kompally, he said two parties — the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — have ruled the country for the most part of the last 71 years.
“These two have created a situation where the people are forced to elect either the BJP or the Congress — or coalitions led by either — in every election. They raise worthless slogans like ‘garibi hatao’ to come to power, but do nothing for the people. Both the parties have been cheating and looting the country and its people,” alleged Rao, who is also the chief minister of Telangana.
A resolution calling for a movement to bring a qualitative change in national politics was adopted at the plenary.
The party entrusted the task of achieving this objective with Rao. “We have all the talent needed to rule the country and bring a qualitative change in governance. We can give the BJP and the Congress a run for their money,” the TRS president said.
Rao said he would shape the federal front and create political tremors across the country, with Hyderabad as its epicentre, within the next two to three months. “I have already met several regional party leaders. I am going to meet Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and DMK leader Stalin soon. I will spread the fragrance of ‘gulabi’ (the pink rose symbolising the TRS flag) across the country and liberate India from the shackles of the two parties,” he vowed.
The TRS president claimed that while 70,000 tmc of water was available in the country’s rivers, not even 700 crore acres of its land was under irrigation. “Despite having abundant resources, there is no water either for cultivation or drinking in many parts, thanks to inefficient governance at the Centre,” he said.
Rao said that the Congress and the BJP have been making tall claims of achieving a lot of progress in the last seven decades, but they have – in reality – only succeeded in taking the country backwards. He cited statistics to show how countries like China, which were lagging behind India five decades ago, have raced ahead in terms of infrastructural development, irrigation, GDP growth and per capita income.
“Do you consider this development? Even now, we don’t have proper road and rail networks. A toilet at the New York railway station is much better than the whole of our Secunderabad railway station. Our airports do not have sufficient space to accommodate additional aircraft. Are we not ashamed to be compared to neighbouring countries?” he asked.
The chief minister said that instead of solving water disputes between various states, successive Congress and BJP governments sought to reap political mileage through them. “Why is the Centre not solving the Cauvery dispute? The Brajesh Kumar tribunal constituted in 2004 to resolve disputes among riparian states over sharing of Krishna waters is yet to complete the task even after 14 years. Is this not failure at the central level?” he asked.
Rao charged successive Congress and BJP governments at the Centre with bringing down states to the level of municipalities.
“Why should there be a concurrent list in the Constitution? Why should the Centre have control over subjects like agriculture, health, education, housing, rural and urban development and drinking water supply?” he asked.
Citing the example of the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, the Telangana chief minister questioned the logic behind Prime Minister involving himself in laying rural roads.
“It can be done by the local sarpanch. Why should the Centre hold the key to workers’ wage payment under NREGA? The Centre would do better to concentrate on other issues such as safeguarding our borders and international diplomacy. Don’t poke your nose into state affairs,” he asserted.