Ramchander Rao ups the ante against Congress and Kharge
Addressing the media later, he stated that the Congress had failed to consider the needs of people during its 50 years of governance.
"The public, fed up with the corrupt rule of the Congress, has defeated the party three times in a row, demanding a Congress-mukt Bharat. While the BJP works for the people, the Congress works for power and corruption," he observed.
Deploring the Congress, he remarked that 'AICC' stands for the 'All India Cheating Committee'. He said that the Congress party in the state had been encountering significant opposition from the public shortly after assuming power—something no other party had experienced so quickly. He predicted that in the upcoming elections to local bodies, people would send a strong message to the Congress.
Regarding the Congress's claim that it would win 100 MLA and 15 MP seats in the next Assembly and parliamentary elections respectively, he commented that perhaps the Congress leaders misspoke and actually intended to say that the BJP would achieve these numbers.
Ramachandra Rao expressed his confidence that in the coming days, people of Telangana would chant slogans like "Congress- mukt Bharat," emphasizing that the BJP would mount a just fight against the Congress government for deceiving the public. He decried that Telangana, once a prosperous state, had been reduced to a state of begging under the Congress now and BRS earlier. However, he asserted that the BJP would work unitedly to bring the party to power in the state, contesting all positions in the elections to local bodies, from ward members to ZPTCs, and winning the most seats.
The state BJP chief stated that the BJP was growing stronger and was certain to come to power in Telangana soon. He said that terms like "secularism" and "socialism" were introduced after the Emergency imposed by the then Congress regime. He claimed that the Congress had intertwined these concepts with religious politics, violating the rights of the people. Ramachandra Rao emphasized that the Modi government was dedicated to serving the poor and marginalized, adding 'Prime Minister Modi comes from a backward class'. More than half of the Chief Ministers in BJP-ruled states belong to Backward Classes.
Ramachandra Rao highlighted that the BJP was gaining special support in rural areas. With victories in the last Assembly elections, when they won eight MLA and 8 MP seats, along with 3 seats in the recent MLC elections, the party was showing signs of strengthening, which is reflected in its steadily increasing vote share across the state.
The BJP chief accused the Congress government of betraying the Backward Classes, stating that it had no genuine plan for ensuring 42 per cent reservation in elections to local bodies. It had merely made promises to divert attention from the BJP. He pointed out that the BJP supported the BC bill for 42 per cent reservation, and now it would implement its promise.
Ramachandra Rao contested claims that the state was facing a shortage of urea and said that under PM Modi, the Centre had allocated 12 lakh metric tonnes of urea to Telangana -- 2 lakh metric tonnes more than what the state requires. He blamed the Congress-led state government for not supplying urea to farmers in time. He dared the Congress to debate the urea supply issue and disclose what they had done with the stocks received. Finally, he pointed out that the Congress government had pledged to provide 2 lakh jobs annually. With 1.3 lakh job vacancies remaining when the BRS government yielded power to the Congress, he questioned why the Congress government had not filled these positions. He reiterated that the Modi government had allocated Rs. 12 lakh crore for the development of Telangana and invited the Congress to debate this allocation.
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Hindustan Times
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Today, the relationship between New Delhi and Washington is undergoing major adjustments, with significant differences on many issues, including trade, diplomacy, and energy. Likewise, there are many pressing issues between China and India which not only limit the depth of China-India economic and trade cooperation but also damage mutual understanding and trust. Some of these include tensions at the border, 'reviewing' and suppressing Chinese capital, restricting visas for Chinese technical personnel, no direct flights between the two countries, India imposing numerous barriers on Chinese investments, etc. Reflecting the Chinese government's view, the GT editorial puts a condition for Modi's visit translating into improved bilateral relations, saying 'We welcome Prime Minister Modi to visit China with genuine intentions to improve bilateral ties…' At the same time, a WeChat social media commentary declared India a 'joke,' saying Trump's 'tariff terrorism' has left the country 'powerless' and without bargaining chips, reflecting the divergent views. Hemant Adlakha teaches Chinese at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He is also Vice Chairperson and an Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Delhi.
