BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao slammed the Congress on Sunday, claiming that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's administration was marred by famine deaths, naxal activities, and encounters, news agency PTI reported. Rao, better known as KCR, addressed rallies across the state, saying Congress leaders should be humiliated to seek votes because they were unable to provide potable water during their tenure, despite the Krishna river running nearby in Kollapur. The Chief Minister further said that the grand old party delayed Telangana's creation and even attempted to break the BRS party (formerly TRS) in addition to purchasing its MLAs.
Taking a dig at Congress for invoking late Indira Gandhi, he said: "Congress promises to bring Indiramma Rajyam in Telangana... What happened during Indiramma Rajyam (Indira's rule)? Hunger and only hunger deaths, Naxalite movements, people were shot dead and encounters... this is what happened throughout Indiramma Rajyam." Rao said that it was merely a life of starvation till previous Chief Minister NT Rama Rao (undivided Andhra Pradesh) came to office and gave grains at Rs 2 per kg to people.
“There is no regime worse than that of Indiramma... they have looted and left people in the lurch,” the CM was quoted by PTI in its report.
Rao challenged people to compare the 50-year Congress rule to the 10-year BRS rule and witness for themselves the changes that occurred during his tenure.
Raising the merger issue, he claimed that the Congress party united Telangana and Andhra Pradesh without the consent of the people, resulting in 50 years of hardship.
He noted that it was the BRS administration that enhanced social pensions to Rs 2000, which were previously meagre.
If the BRS administration is re-elected, he has vowed to gradually increase the present social pension and the amount granted under the Rythu Bandhu plan.
Rao said that Telangana is the only state in the country that does not levy an irrigation water charge on farmers.
He said that he failed to comply with the Center's "order" to place metres on agricultural pump sets, despite Telangana losing Rs 25,000 crore in Centre funding over the previous five years.
KCR claimed straight from former AICC president Rahul Gandhi to local politicians are suggesting that the Congress party, if elected to power, 'Dharani', an integrated land management platform, “will be thrown in the Bay of Bengal” which may bring back the system of middlemen and corrupt officials.