BRS, BJP looted Rs 1 lakh crore in Kaleshwaram project: Rahul Gandhi

Mahabubnagar (Telangana) : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that BRS and BJP looted Rs.1 lakh crore in the Kaleshwaram project in Telangana.

Addressing an election rally at Kollapur in undivided Mahabubnagar district, he said the piers of the project were sinking and collapsing. He was referring to the recent incident of sinking of a portion of Mediagadda barrage, a part of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project.

Rahul Gandhi told the people of Telangana that their vote for the BJP and the MIM would be a vote for BRS as all the three parties were working together. He also promised that the Congress would give back to people all the money which KCR and his family looted during the last ten years of rule.

Stating that the Congress built several projects like Nagarjuna Sagar, Jurala, Sriram Sagar and Singur, he urged the people to compare those projects with the one built by the BRS government.

Alleging that BRS pushed the state into a debt trap, Rahul Gandhi said that to repay the state’s debts, every family of Telangana will have to pay Rs.31,500 every year till 2040.

The Congress MP also alleged that the BRS government snatched the lands of weaker sections, backward classes and the poor which were allotted to them by the previous Congress governments. “In the name of computerisation and Dharani portal, your Chief Minister has snatched your lands,” he said.

Alleging that state employees were not getting their wages and public sector undertakings were shutting down, he said that the entire wealth of Telangana was going into the hands of KCR’s family.

Reiterating that the Assembly elections were a fight between ‘Dorala Telangana and Prajala Telangana’ (feudalists’ Telangana and people’s Telangana), the Congress leader urged people to bring Congress to power to realise the dream of people’s Telangana. “You had seen the dream of Prajala Telangana . You did not fight and made sacrifices for Dorala Telangana,” he said.

The Congress MP alleged that BRS, BJP and MIM were working together. He said that BRS extends full support to the BJP in the Lok Sabha. He also pointed out that there were CBI, ED and IT cases against all Opposition Chief Ministers and other leaders but there is no case against KCR.

“They work together to stop the Congress. The MIM also helps the BJP wherever it can. In Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, MIM fields candidates to help the BJP,” he said. He recalled that the people of Telangana stood with his grandmother and former Prime Minister. “Today is my grandmother’s death anniversary. People of Telangana gave their support when she required it. I will never forget this,” he said.

He said his mother Sonia Gandhi together with the people of Telangana fought for Telangana state and delivered it. “We together had a dream of a new Telangana, a Telangana which will benefit the poor, SCs, STs, backward classes and farmers. We never thought that Telangana would benefit just one family and people will suffer for 10 years,” he said.

Listing out the six guarantees given by the Congress party, he said immediately after coming to power, the Congress will fulfill all the promises like it has done in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and other states. Rahul Gandhi told people that his sister Priyanka Gandhi was to address the public meeting but she could not come because she had fever.

“I had to attend a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) at 5 p.m. Since my sister had given commitment to Telangana, I said the public meeting is more important than the CEC meeting,” he said, adding that their relationship with Telangana is not political but it’s a family relationship.