Telangana assembly elections 2018: ‘Family-ruled’ TRS, and Congress are playing ‘friendly match’ in Telangana: Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the TRS and Congress of perpetuating family rule and said the two parties were playing a “friendly match” in the Telangana elections.

Reaffirming the BJP’s commitment to inclusive growth, Mr. Modi, addressing his first election rally in the State, said vote bank politics has harmed development like “termites.”

“The chief minister of Telangana and his family thinks they can get away with doing no work like the Congress.... They have adopted the style of the Congress which ruled for 50-52 years without doing anything. But that cannot happen now,” he told an election rally in Nizamabad.

“TRS and Congress are family-ruled parties playing a friendly match in Telangana polls,” he added.

Accusing the TRS government led by K. Chandrasekhar Rao of not keeping its promises, Mr. Modi said the chief minister had once said he would transform Nizamabad into a smart city like London but the place was still grappling with shortage of water, electricity and proper roads.

He claimed Mr. Rao did not join Ayushman Bharat scheme under which the Centre would bear medical expenses of the poor to the extent of ₹5 lakh a year because of his feeling of insecurity.

“This chief minister feels so insecure...he trusts astrologers, does puja, ties nimbu-mirchi (to ward of evil). So when we introduced Ayushman Bharat Yojana, he decided not to join it. He feared people will reject him if Modicare comes into force. He did injustice to the poor people of the State,” Mr. Modi said.

Amid reports that the Congress was preparing a manifesto that would envisage separate schools and hospitals for Muslims, Mr. Modi said the only mantra that the BJP followed was “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and was against vote bank politics.

Development, he said, was a casualty wherever vote bank politics and politics of casteism, communalism and nepotism have flourished. He said those who believe in development, building new India and new Telangana trust BJP most.