Telangana polls: Amit Shah's comments full of lies, says BRS leader K T Rama Rao
Hyderabad (PTI): The working president of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana, K T Rama Rao, alleged on Tuesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments at a public meeting in Adilabad were full of lies.
Taking a dig at Shah, Rama Rao also said it is ironic to hear him speak of dynastic politics.
"Amit Shah's statements at the Adilabad public meeting are filled with blatant lies. Amit Shah has become a laughing stock in Telangana," Rama Rao, the son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), said in a statement.
The home minister should clarify "where his son Jay Shah played cricket or provided coaching" before being appointed as secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he added.
"Amit Shah, during a speech in Adilabad district five years ago, pledged to revive the dormant Cement Corporation of India. Half a decade later, the promise remains unfulfilled," the BRS leader said.
He accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of neglecting Telangana.
In the decade since Telangana's inception, not a single educational institution has been granted to the state, Rama Rao said.
He said Shah's claim that Telangana holds the top position in the country in farmer suicides is false and misleading.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) copied the BRS government's "Rythu Bandhu" investment support scheme for farmers and other schemes from Telangana and is alleging that the farmers of the southern state are committing suicide, Rama Rao said.
"The BJP is more interested in using religion for political gains, potentially disrupting communal harmony," he alleged.
The BRS leader also said Shah should provide a detailed account of what the BJP has done for Telangana over the past decade before asking people for votes.
Referring to Shah's allegation that the "steering" of the BRS (the party's poll symbol is car) is in the hands of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), he said it is in the hands of KCR.
"People are tired of the empty promises made by BJP leaders during elections. Instead, they should address issues like unemployment and rising essential commodity prices," Rama Rao said.
Shah, who addressed the public meeting at Adilabad on Tuesday, kicking off the BJP's campaign for the November 30 Telangana Assembly polls, mounted a sharp attack against KCR, charging him with only being focused on making his son the chief minister.
Taking on the BRS supremo, he alleged that KCR never worked for the poor but is only keen on making his son the chief minister.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
