KTR calls Priyanka Gandhi a political tourist, demands apology for Congress follies

HYDERABAD: Terming Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi as a political tourist, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and Minister K T Rama Rao on Sunday said that jobless politicians were instigating the youth of Telangana. The parties which did not work for the welfare of people when in power were now sermonising State governments like Telangana which consistently ranked high in performance, he commented.

Reacting to Priyanka Gandhi’s plan to hold a political rally in Telangana on youth issues, the BRS Working President reminded the Congress party of its decades-long history of failures while holding power.

KTR criticized the grand-old party for looking to exploit youth and employment issues for political mileage. He said that the country would not have experienced an unemployment crisis had the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced an employment policy and made strides like the BRS. The minister said that the Telangana government, under the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), provided employment to 2.2 lakh youth in the government and 22 lakh youth in the private sector.

Asserting that the Congressmen would not be successful in their vicious attempts, KTR asked them to compare the number of posts filled by Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in the undivided Andhra Pradesh with those of the Telangana government post formation of the State. Telangana youths were given a raw deal in interviews even after clearing written exams with merit, he claimed.

Accusing the Congress party of delaying the formation of a separate Telangana for vested political gains, KTR demanded that Priyanka Gandhi apologize on behalf of her party for the deaths of hundreds of Telangana youths at the height of the separate Telangana movement. KTR said that even Revanth Reddy, the current Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, termed Sonia Gandhi as the culprit (balidevatha) for all the suicides.

KTR further commented: “Hyderabad is a global city which welcomes lakhs of visitors everyday and it also welcomes political tourists like Priyanka Gandhi.” He termed the Congress as a sinking ship and suggested Priyanka Gandhi to turn her political visit into an educational tour. He asked her to see for herself the growth of Telangana and the world class roads, flyovers, cable bridge and offices of the top MNCs in Hyderabad. He also suggested to Priyanka Gandhi to ask fellow Congressmen about what people like superstar Rajinikanth spoke about Hyderabad.

KTR highlighted the failures of the previous Congress regime like lack of drinking and irrigation water, electricity woes and gross neglect of agriculture. The minister said that, in stark contrast to the Congress rule, the BRS-led Telangana government provided 24-hour power, Rythu Bandhu, Aasara pensions for the needy, Mission Bhagiratha and many more schemes. He advised Priyanka Gandhi to learn from the inclusive and holistic developmental activities and policies of Telangana so that they could be implemented in Congress-ruled states.

He asserted that people of Telangana were wise enough to secure their future by electing KCR again, something that political tourist Priyanka Gandhi would realise during her upcoming tour to Telangana.