BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao accused Congress party candidates of soliciting votes by claiming they will join BRS if elected, news agency PTI reported. He further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is suggesting that coal will be imported from Adani Group's coal mines in Australia, leaving aside the state-run Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) while speaking at a rally in a largely coal mining area. He said that the state government was forced to sell a 49 percent interest in SCCL due to the ineptitude of previous Congress leadership.
“Now Congress people, after realising that their defeat is certain, have started a new campaign. They are asking people to elect them so that after winning they will go and join the BRS. I got the news. Somehow they wanted to win,” Rao was quoted by PTI in its report.
In an attack on the BJP, he asked why people should vote for a party that hasn't provided Telangana a single medical college or a Navodaya School. “A vote for them is like dropping it in drainage,” he mocked.
He said that the Congress party was responsible for the 1956 merger of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which resulted in 50 years of hardship.
He attacked the grand old party, accusing it of stalling Telangana creation despite pledges.
He said that the 50 years of Congress administration were marred by suicides and migrations, and that 400 people were killed during the Telangana struggle for independent statehood in 1969.
Talking about the the Singareni mines, he stated: “We provided several facilities to Singareni employees. Telangana assembly also passed a resolution requesting the Centre to waive off income tax to Singareni employees.
"But (PM) Modi is not doing it and on top of that he says you close Singareni and we will import coal from Adani (mines) in Australia,” he charged.
According to him, around 15,000 employment were created in SCCL when BRS came to power.
Rao stated that he was the one who came up with the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme for the first time in the country, and increased old age pensions from Rs 200 in the previous Congress regime to Rs 1,000 per month, and then to Rs 2000.
He vowed to eventually raise it to Rs 5,000.
He said that Congress leaders are accusing KCR of squandering taxpayers' money by providing Rythu Bandhu investment assistance to farmers.
“If you elect BRS candidates, not only Rythu Bandhu will be continued but also the amount under it will be increased to Rs 16,000 gradually,” he promised.
He further stated that Telangana PCC President Revanth Reddy claims that the 24-hour free power provided to farmers is a waste of time and that three hours is sufficient.
He reminded the audience that Congress leaders had said Dharani will be "dumped in the Bay of Bengal" if they win power.