Lok Sabha polls KCR crafting manifesto with national perspective

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is likely to announce soon the party’s manifesto with a national perspective for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, highlighting the aims and objectives of the Federal Front as well as local issues that impinge on national politics.

KCR floated the Front as an alternative to BJP and Congress at the Centre recently. The TRS chief has met several leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and DMK leaders, seeking their support to his front. Sources in the party said that the proposal to prepare the TRS manifesto for the General Election is under active consideration.

“KCR is of the view that the party manifesto announced in the just-concluded Assembly elections is already under implementation. “Hence, the party needs to come out with another manifesto to showcase the Federal Front’s vision and its efforts to bring a change in the country’s economy, farming sector, while ensuring optimum utilisation of water resources to make agriculture a profitable profession in the country,” a senior leader said.

The first-of-its-kind Rythu Bandhu scheme, extending cash incentives directly to farmers, introduced by KCR has drawn national attention. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has already emulated KCR’s scheme and has started implementing it in the current farming season, leaders said. Two other flagships schemes - Mission Baghiratha and Mission Kakatiya, aimed at providing safe drinking water to all households and reviving the water bodies respectively, also received accolades from across the country.

“All these schemes are likely to be highlighted in the Federal Front manifesto”. The other important issues – enhancement of reservation to the local poor communities in line with their proportion in the population, fight for securing national project status to Kaleshwaram project and getting more funds from the Centre will also form part of the main portions of the manifesto.

The TRS chief has been demanding increase in quota for Muslims and tribals in education and employment in Telangana. He has already succeeded in making reservation an issue of national importance and demanded the Centre to accord powers to the states in the finalisation of the quota.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)party in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu has already extended KCR’s demand. “The party wants to highlight the local issues with national importance in the manifesto,” leaders said. TRS working president KT Rama Rao has already exposed the Centre’s failure in extending financial benefits to Telangana in completing big projects. These issues may also be highlighted in the manifesto.