Congress, BJP helping each other in eight Lok Sabha seats each, alleges Harish Rao

Harish Rao accuses Congress and BJP of colluding in Telangana, promises BRS victory in upcoming elections.

Senior leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former minister T. Harish Rao has accused the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of helping each other in eight Parliamentary Constituencies each as part of a tacit understanding between the two and they have a common agenda of deceiving the people of Telangana one more time.

Although the people of Telangana voted for a change five months back, they were seeking change again with the Congress Government unable to keep its promises and not making even a sincere attempt to fulfil them, Mr. Harish Rao said participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the Telangana State Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Discounting the estimates (predictions) of some media houses that BRS would weaken further in the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Rao asked them to wait and watch as there was a silent wave working in favour of the party and it was going to win a majority of the seats as the people were vexed up with the Congress party’s fake ‘praja palana’ and BJP’s hollow claims of development.

He sought to know whether ‘praja plana’ meant deceiving people who voted for it hoping better/improved welfare measures, and harassing political opponents. Of the 13 benefits promises as part of the six guarantees, only the free travel in RTC buses for women was implemented fully and gas cylinder for ₹500 and 200 units of free energy supply to every below poverty line household were being implemented partially.

Other benefits such as ₹2,500 per month financial assistance to women, ₹15,000 per acre Rythu Bharosa including for tenant farmers, ₹12,000 assistance to farm workers, ₹500 per quintal bonus to paddy, house site and ₹5 lakh for house construction to those who have no shelter, 250 square yards each site to those participated in Telangana movement and enhanced social security pension of ₹4,000 per month were yet to be implemented despite promises to give then to implement them in the first 100 days itself.

The BRS leader reiterated that he was committed to his resignation as an MLA by submitting a letter in the Speaker’s format provided Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy too forwarded his resignation letter to a journalist union. He would quit if the six guarantees and ₹2 lakh each farm loan waiver was implemented 100% by August 15 or else the CM must quit.

Citing an example of “understanding for mutual benefit in elections” between the Congress and BJP, he said the issues of distribution of Hindus’ properties to minorities and scrapping of the reservation system were raked up knowing well that they were not possible to implement as per the Constitution. He stated that regional parties would play a key role in the formation of the next government at the centre.