TRS will return to power for third term: KTR

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday exuded complete confidence that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will return to power for third consecutive time and score a hattrick in the State which was unheard in any South Indian State. He also gave an earful to the detractors especially the BJP leaders for their double standards and false propaganda.

Participating in the ‘#AskKTR’ session on Twitter, he answered questions on various topics including politics, governance and others during a two-hour marathon interaction. Rama Rao took potshots at the BJP government at the Centre for asking people to change their display picture (DP) on social media on the occasion of 75th Independence Day and said, “DP badalne se kya hoga? GDP badalne se desh aage badega. 

What is the use of changing DP? By changing the GDP, the country will progress,” he said.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks suggesting to stop ‘freebies’ and waiving off corporate loans as bad loans, the Minister said it was a matter of perspective and priorities. “PM Modi is opposed to helping the poor (calls it Revdi), but is okay waiving off Rs 12 lakh crores of loans to corporates. That’s his style,” he said. He also advised the Centre to focus on falling the Rupee value than dethroning the Opposition-led governments.

He reacted sharply to the Opposition’s allegations that the Chief Minister violated the protocol without receiving Prime Minister Modi during the latter’s visit to Hyderabad. “Where did we disrespect Hon’ble PM? The protocol clearly says that the Hon’ble CM need not attend if the PM is on an unofficial/private visit,” he said. When a journalist from Delhi posed similar question in English and sought him to answer in Hindi, he quickly replied, “We don’t like Hindi imposition.”

When a BJP supporter demanded to know why the Telangana government did not take action against the ‘anti-India’ protests held against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her speech, Rama Rao asserted that Nupur Sharma’s remarks brought shame to this great nation and made Indians look bad to the world. For anyone to support a bigot like her, is even more shameful, he



added.

On why Telangana did not stop the Centre from increasing the GST during the GST Council meeting amd now, blaming the BJP for the same in public, the Minister reminded that GST Council was merely a recommendatory/advisory body. 

“Whatever they advise and recommend is NOT binding on the Govt of India. P.S: I hope you know that BJP enjoys brute majority in GST council. (sic)” he tweeted. He said privatisation of all the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) by the union government would have adverse impact on farmers and other sections of the society.

When a netizen suggested that the TRS should let its work speak rather than countering the Opposition, the TRS working president said both have to be done simultaneously. Apart from working hard and showing results, he felt that countering fake propaganda of the Opposition was also equally important.

In response to a query on whether the TRS lost it to the Opposition which was hitting hard with a mix of religion and nationalism, he stated that the TRS government was focused on developmental nationalism.

On the TRS party remaining silent over the accusations and false propaganda by the BJP Telangana leaders, he simply brushed them aside stating, “Empty vessels make lots of noise. They are the disciples of Goebbels who are adept at spreading fake news and hatred,” he added.

Commenting on the by-elections to Munugode constituency in the wake of sitting MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy switching his loyalties to BJP, the TRS working president said let it be declared. He stated that it was just another by-election and will not change anything. 

Further, he said that the TRS will have its alliance with the people of Telangana in response to a question on whether the party will allign with the Congress or the TDP in next Assembly elections.

Rama Rao reacted on a lighter note when a Twitter user pointed out that BJP State president Bandi Sanjay hinted at more by-elections in the State and said, “Mungerilal ke haseen sapney.” When another netizen asked if BJP State president Bandi Sanjay was tweeting in English all by himself, he wanted the netizen to answer.