TRS and BJP are political parasites: Sravan

Hyderabad: All India Congress Committee (AICC) Spokesperson Dr. Dasoju Sravan has alleged that both TRS and BJP parties were behaving like 'political parasites' and banking on Congress party for their own survival.

He was addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday along with Konda Vishweshwar Reddy who filed his nomination papers as Congress candidate from Chevella Parliamentary constituency.

Sravan said that the TRS party was neither having public support nor good leaders of its own to face the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. For the same reason, he said, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was acting like a leech by encouraging defections in Congress and other parties. He was simply buying out leaders from other parties to use them in favour of TRS in coming elections. Citing an example, he said Nama Nageshwara Rao, a TDP leader, was given ticket from Khammam within six hours of joining the TRS. Similarly, he said TRS Peddapalli candidate Borlakunta Venkatesh Netha had contested on Congress ticket from Chennur constituency in the Assembly elections held in December 2018. Similarly, he said BJP was poaching leaders from Congress party to strengthen itself in Telangana State. Therefore, he said both TRS and BJP were behaving like 'political parasites'.

The AICC Spokesperson said that by dropping six leaders, including three sitting MPs, KCR has certified that his party MPs had poor performance. He said TRS had come to power in last Assembly elections by indulging in irregularities and EVM manipulation. However, he said the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections were a straight fight between Prime Minister Narender Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and KCR was not all relevant. He said people have to choose whether they want a dictatorial rule or a democratic government. Therefore, he said people should elect Congress candidates to ensure formation of a truly democratic and people's government at the Centre. He said people should completely avoid TRS, which is nothing but the B-Team of BJP and KCR an agent of Narender Modi.

Commenting on TRS candidates, the Congress leader alleged that KCR has given tickets to all betrayers of Telangana movement. "In what way Malla Reddy was associated with Telangana movement? KCR first rewarded him with a cabinet berth and now he fielded his son-in-law Rajashekhar Reddy as TRS candidate from Malkajgiri. Similarly, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who had openly opposed Telangana, was first made a minister and now his son Saikiran Yadav has been made a candidate from Secunderabad seat. KCR is asking people of Telangana to reward all the betrayers of statehood movement by making them MPs," he said.

However, leaders like G. Vivek, Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Prof. Seetharam Naik and Jithender Reddy, who actively participated in Telangana movement have been dropped. "Rewarding the betrayers, by sidelining the true loyalists of Telangana seems to be the policy of TRS," he said.

Sravan said Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has played a crucial role in Telangana movement in individual capacity. KCR had begged him to join his party so that TRS would get strengthened. Therefore, Vishweshwar Reddy had joined the TRS and also got elected from Chevella constituency in 2014. However, he came out of the party as he gives more prominence to self respect than power. Further, he said Vishweshwar Reddy strongly believes that Telangana could be developed only through a national party. He said Vishweshwar Reddy comes from the 'Konda Legacy' and people are aware of services rendered by Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy and Konda Madhava Reddy. He said despite coming from such a great background, Vishweshwar Reddy never showed any signs of arrogance and he developed Chevella with total dedication and commitment.

The Congress leader said that the TRS Government has failed to take up the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) project which was approved by the previous Congress-led UPA Government. Stating that only 8% of people in Chevella were salaried employees, he said ITIR project could have created an alternate economy and provided jobs to thousands of youth in Chevella and surrounding regions. Similarly, TRS Government has betrayed the people of Ranga Reddy, especially Chevella, by re-designing Pranahita Chevella projects. He said this project would have provided irrigation facility to entire Chevella Parliamentary constituency. Having cheated the people of Chevella, now KCR is promising that he would bring water from Kaleshwaram project. He also slammed KCR for not taking any measures to withdraw GO 111.

Sravan appealed to the people to realise the cheating done by TRS and understand the failures of KCR. "KCR is still not focussed on people's issues or concerns. He just wants to win 16 MP seats so that he could become PM or play a role in national politics. However, the Congress party is completely focussed on development of Telangana and wants its people to achieve success," he said.

Earlier, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy thanked Rahul Gandhi for nominating him as Congress candidate from Chevella. He claimed that he would win the seat with a majority of over three lakh votes.