Rahul Gandhi Levelling Baseless Allegations On BRS: Telangana Minister Harish Rao

Dismissing Rahul Gandhi’s speech as a rehearsed skit lacking substance, Harish Rao said the Khammam meeting was, in a nutshell, filled with frivolous accusations and scripted speeches.

Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Sunday countered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), asserting that the BRS is not the B-team of any party but rather the A-team dedicated to the welfare of the country's poor. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's corruption allegations against the BRS, Harish Rao asserted that the Indian National Congress had been ousted from power due to its corruption. He went on to taunt the party, stating that its name had become synonymous with corruption, referring to it as 'scamgress.'

In response to allegations of corruption in the Kaleshwaram project, Harish Rao laughed off the claim of a Rs 1 lakh crore-scam, pointing out that the total project cost itself was Rs 80,321.57 crore.

He reminded that the Centre had not contributed any funds and the project was taken up entirely by the State government, as stated in response to Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy in the Parliament.

Recalling the death of eight people in police firing in Khammam when the Congress was in power in 2007 in undivided Andhra Pradesh during a bandh called by the Left parties as part of an agitation for 'land for landless poor', Harish Rao said that the Congress' smooth talk would not be believed by the people.

Dismissing Rahul Gandhi’s speech as a rehearsed skit lacking substance, Harish Rao said the Khammam meeting was, in a nutshell, filled with frivolous accusations and scripted speeches.

Addressing a public meeting in Khammam on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi described the state's ruling party as "BJP's B-Team" and said KCR is under the control of Prime Minister Modi because of his “corruption activities”.

“Telangana and its youth should understand one thing that KCR is under the control of Prime Minister Modi because of his corruption activities. The corruption he did in the liquor scam is known to all agencies. That's why I said that TRS is BJP's B-Team and they have accepted that by changing their name to BRS, which means BJP Rishtedar Samithi,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi further alleged that the corruption charges against KCR and his party's leaders have made them subservient to the BJP, and this is the reason why the prime minister yields control over him.

"The corruption done in the liquor scam is all known to the agencies. That is why I say TRS is BJP's B-team and that is why it has now changed its name to 'BJP Rishtedar Samithi, and we will defeat them here (Telangana)," he said.