Hyderabad: Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi kicked off his party’s campaign in Telangana by launching a scathing attack against the three year old Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government terming it as a “family rule”.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting “Telangana Praja Garana” at Sangareddy at the same venue where his grandmother Indira Gandhi had launched her come back campaign four decades ago, Rahul Gandhi charged the Chief Minister K. Chandrashekara Rao (KCR) and his government with corruption and siding with the land mafia against the farmers of the state.

‘Is this the Bangaru (golden) Telangana you had dreamt of?” he repeatedly asked while referring to the acts of omission and commission of the KCR regime.

Playing the card of Telangana sentiment, which had been the main stay of the ruling TRS so far, Rahul Gandhi reminded the people that it was the Congress party which had at a great political price carved the Telangana state so that the aspirations of the people could be fulfilled.

“The Telangana movement was run by the students and youth as they wanted jobs. Everyone in Telangana was pained that they were being deprived of their rights. Congress and Sonia Gandhi understood their agony and anguish and granted statehood for Telangana. It was a historic decision and we had to face a lot of criticism and opposition, but has your dream of Telangana been fulfilled?” he asked.

The meeting, attended by more than 100,000 people was the biggest show of strength by the Congress which lost power in the state in 2014 despite playing a major role in the formation of Telangana.

Rahul who issued a charge-sheet against both the KCR government in the state and Narendra Modi government at the Centre alleged that KCR was implementing the Gujrat model of snatching away the lands from the farmers by diluting the Land Acquisition Act passed by the UPA government.

Referring to the redesigning of the irrigation projects in the state, Rahul alleged that it was done to benefit the contractors. He also alleged that corruption was rampant and the members of the ruling family were filling their pockets.

Terming the KCR government as autocratic, Rahul said that “it was working for realising the dreams of one person by trampling on the rights of all other people on land, waters and other resources”.

Not fulfilling the promise of a job to every household, and not giving the promised three acres of land to every Dalit family and counting suicides by the farmers among the failures of the KCR government, Rahul Gandhi asked, “Have you created this state only for four persons?”

Repeatedly referring to the ‘family rule’ and the political domination of the four members of KCR family, Rahul Gandhi said, “Except for KCR’s family, nobody gained from the formation of Telangana state. Out of 35 million people in the state nobody except the KCR family is happy.”

Rahul Gandhi contrasted it with the democratic functioning of Congress party. Pointing out at the dais where 160 leaders of the party were seated, Rahul Gandhi said, “This is the Congress party that represented people from all walks of life and not a single family party like the ruling TRS”, he said.

Giving a call for a fresh agitation to achieve the dream of “Golden Telangana” and to fulfil the aspirations of all sections of people including students, youth and women, Rahul Gandhi asked the Congress leaders and workers to go door-to-door to convey the Congress party’s message of inclusive development.

Rahul also drew a parallel between Chief Minister KCR and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “both are good at making empty promises.”

Reminding the Prime Minister of his promise of creating 20 million jobs, he asked the youth to hold him to the promise. He said that the Prime Minister had also failed to keep his promise of bringing the black money from abroad and crediting Rs1.5 million each in the bank accounts of the poor.

Rahul Gandhi’s chiding of family rule in TRS brought quick and sharp rebuttal from state minister for information technology and the Chief Minister’s son K. Taraka Rama Rao. He took to Twitter to rebut the charges. “The Indian National Congress leadership talking of ‘family rule’ has to be the joke of the millennium. Classic comedy.”

“Pre-scripted speeches written by bunch of discredited local leaders can at best make your party look silly. Get your facts right, Rahul ji,” he wrote.