Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday appealed to the MLAs and MPs of various parties in various states, irrespective of their political affiliations, to exercise their vote according to their conscience and elect the Opposition parties’ candidate Yashwanth Sinha in the Presidential elections.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the TRS on the occasion of the visit of Yashwanth Sinha to Hyderabad, KCR recalled that on an earlier occasion, former President of India V V Giri was also elected as the President of India, braving tough opposition, because the electorate had voted as per their conscience.
He urged the electorate in the Presidential polls to compare the qualities of the two candidates and carefully and vote for Yashwanth Sinha.
“Sinha is better qualified to be the President of India. He started his career as an advocate, later got into civii services and later joined politics and became a union minister. His vast experience would help enhance the prestige of India,” he said.
Sinha said the Presidential polls were not between two individuals, but it was between two ideologies.
He maintained that the fight against the dictatorial policies of Modi government would continue even after the Presidential polls and all opposition parties would launch a united fight to protect the democracy in India. He thanked the chief minister for the support in the ensuing polls.
On this occasion, KCR reiterated the need to bring about a qualitative change in the national politics.
Stating that Modi would target him personally and his party at the Sunday’s public meeting at Secunderabad parade grounds, KCR demanded that the Prime Minister should answer his questions first before making any attack on the opposition.
He sought to know whether Modi had fulfilled even a single promise made to the people during his eight-year regime.
“You said you would double the income of farmers. You didn’t do it but instead made his expenditure double. You have failed to provide MSP to the farmers, as promised,” he said.
Stating that as many as 14 Prime Ministers had ruled the nation before Modi, the Telangana chief minister said never in the past had the country witnessed such a worse government.
“Modi has grown arrogant. He thinks he is a permanent Prime Minister. But nobody is permanent in democracy,” he said.
He also found fault with the Modi government for its inept handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The sudden imposition of lockdown had thrown the lives of crores of people in turmoil. There were reports of hundreds of corpses floating in the waters of Ganga river,” he said.
Accusing Modi of killing the federal democratic spirit of the country, KCR wondered whether there was any sincerity in the Prime Minister’s blood.
“Because of the polarising politics of the BJP, India is forced to bow its head in shame before other countries,” he said.
Describing Modi’s “Make In India” slogan a humbug, the TRS president said nobody had benefitted out of it, except a few big business houses closer to him.
“People of Sri Lanka hit the streets in protest against your recommendation for projects to an industrialist closer to you. You behaved not like a Prime Minister but a salesman of your favourite industrialists,” he criticised.
