Hyderabad: People’s Front, the grand alliance of opposition in Telangana received a big shot in the arm on Wednesday as Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam President N Chandrababu Naidu for the first time addressed a joint election rally and vowed to throw out the Telangana Rashtra Samiti government in December 7 polls.
As the leaders of all constituents of the grand alliance, including CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, Telangana Jana Sena president Prof Kodanda Ram, popular folk singer Ghaddar and Dalit leader Manda Krishna Madiga shared the stage at the mammoth rally in Khammam, Rahul and Naidu went all out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
“This rally makes a historic beginning of the opposition unity against the BJP at the national level. First the opposition alliance would defeat B team of BJP in Telangana and then we will defeat the A team in Delhi,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“From your great enthusiasm it is clear that the opposition alliance is going to form the next government in Telangana,” he added.
Naidu said the TDP joining hands with the Congress and forming a grand alliance was a historic necessity. Referring to the rally in Khammam he said, “this will be remembered in history as the beginning of opposition coming together to rout out the BJP government. National alliance of opposition has started to take a shape from Telangana”.
Rahul Gandhi ridiculed the statement of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there was no difference between Congress and TRS. “It was TRS which had supported every bill of Modi in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha while Congress was fighting against the BJP. TRS supported demonesitisation of Modi, BJP candidate in Presidential election, no confidence motion and the GST,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Targetting the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen he said TRS and MIM both wanted Modi to come back to power while the opposition alliance wanted to deat the BJP.
Alleging that the Modi government had failed to fulfil all the promises made to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation, including a Railway coach factory, steel plant, tribal university, financial incentives and special category status to Andhra, Rahul said that the Congress will fulfil them.
Rahul Gandhi said that both Modi and KCR failed in keeping the promise of jobs to youth. “In Telangana only one family got the employment and that was KCR’s family. Only one family has benefited from the resources of Telangana and the assets of KCR’s son (K Taraka Rama Rao) increased by 400%”.
He promised that as soon Congress-led alliance comes to power in the state, debt of farmers to the tune of Rs200,000 would be waivered, minimum support price wil be given for 17 crops, family of every martyr of Telangana cause will be given Rs1 million and political cases will be withdrawn against them. He also promised Rs100,000 grant for every self help group of women and Rs5 billion will be allocated for women entrepreneurs, Rs500,000 to build a two-room house for every poor family, affordable health care and education, Rs3,000 allowance to every unemployed youth and 100,000 jobs within a year of coming to power.
From your great enthusiasm it is clear that the opposition alliance is going to form the next government in Telangana.
Chandrababu Naidu tried to allay the apprehensions that he was trying to establish his supremacy in Telangana. “I never opposed Telangana state but I only wanted a fair bifurcation”, he said. “I am Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and I am not contesting any election here”.
Refuting the allegations of TRS that he was trying to interfere in the state, Naidu said that he was all for the unity of Telugu people irrespective of the bifurcation of the state so that both the states could grow and prosper. “I will always stand for the interest of Telangana and its people. Telangana is very dear to me”, he said.
Expressing his happiness over the opposition coming together in Telangana he said, “the opposition should unite for the sake of the nation and democracy as the Modi government has put the national institutions, including Supreme Court, RBI, CBI and election commission, in peril”.
The alliance gave a call to the people to make its candidates victorious in all the 10 constituencies in the district.
Later Naidu and Rahul will address another joint election rally in Sanath Nagar constituency in Hyderabad where TDP candidate was in fray. Rahul Gandhi also addressed a separate rally in Kodangal assembly constituency in Mahbubnagar and was slated to address a corner meeting in Nampally constituency in Hyderabad where Congress was pitted against MIM candidate.
On Thursday he will address meetings in Bhupalapally, Armoor and Parigi near Hyderabad.
