Hyderabad, Oct 23 Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to create two types of citizens: those who have the right to vote and others who do not have it.
He also accused PM Modi of “conspiring” to win elections by deleting votes through SIR.
Addressing a meeting of ruling Congress MLAs and other leaders here, he also said a “most dangerous situation” is going to be witnessed in the state during the coming eight to 10 months due to the rainfall deficit following the El Niño.
He made it clear that water for irrigation cannot be provided for agriculture as availability of drinking water itself is a problem in the prevailing circumstances.
Reddy, who likened the INDIA bloc stir against SIR to the agitation against the Simon Commission during the freedom movement, attacked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged large-scale deletion of votes during SIR.
He claimed that while the slogan was ‘Simon, go back’ during the freedom struggle, it is ‘Gyanesh, go back’ now.
“PM Modi is creating two types of citizens in this country. One, the rich who have voting rights. Second, the poorest of the poor who do not have the right to vote,” he claimed.
“Who are those poor? Adivasis, Dalits, minorities and women. Since they are against the Modi government, if their votes are removed, what will they do? The conspiracy is to form government once again by securing the votes of those who have the right. That is the SIR,” the chief minister said.
Claiming that 13 crore voters have already been removed from the electoral rolls, he alleged that the attempt is to remove a total of 20 crore electors.
The number of voters should increase as there is a rise in population, he said.
He told the Congress leaders that at least 10,000 to 15,000 party workers from the state should attend the party’s protest rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1 over the SIR row, as per the directives of the party’s central leadership.
He said there are at least 15,000 Congress village panchayat presidents, councillors, and corporators, excluding MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other leaders in the state.
“We have to show Telangana’s strength in Ramlila Maidan. The roar in the Delhi Ramlila Maidan should make the Congress flag flutter on Delhi’s Red Fort. Every poor man should be provided voting rights,” he said.
It is the Congress which secured Independence for the country, gave the Constitution to the country, provided reservations to the backward sections, among others, he said.
The ‘Gyanesh go back’ stir will help in making the tricolour (Congress flag) flutter in 2029 (Lok Sabha elections), he said.
The agitation against SIR involves the country’s future, he said.
Alleging that the BJP won elections through deletion of votes in SIR in West Bengal and Maharashtra, he said the BJP now plans to focus on Telangana.
However, the NDA government at the Centre has not sanctioned funds or approved development projects for Telangana, he alleged.
Has the NDA government sanctioned the second phase of Hyderabad Metro Rail, Regional Ring Road or provided funds for Musi River rejuvenation project, Revanth Reddy asked.
The BJP seems to be banking on SIR to win elections in Telangana, he said.
He also alleged that PM Modi tries to win elections by dividing people in the name of religion, while Congress believes in humanity.
Highlighting the severity of drought-like conditions due to the impact of El Niño, he said water levels in projects are less than 20 per cent of their capacity.
Observing that supplying water to the crops is impossible, he said the fact cannot be hidden like cancer.
He said the farmers can only cultivate less water-intensive crops and vegetables in view of the predicted depletion of the water resources in all projects during the next eight to 10 months.
The chief minister announced that a special scheme will be introduced after Sankranti for four months until May to provide daily employment to the workers.
In addition to funds received from the Central government, the State government will also spend a significant amount on this scheme, he said.
Dismissing BRS criticism that the drought-like conditions are caused by the failure of the Congress government, he said many countries across the world are facing drought.
The state is witnessing electricity consumption reaching up to 20,000 megawatts in a day; this is unprecedented, he said.
Hitting out at the BRS over the Yadadri thermal power plant, he alleged that former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao “orchestrated a scheme to ensure he would reap profits amounting to Rs 1 lakh crore” over fifty years.
(PTI News)
