Sattupalli (Telangana): The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government has a ‘mad’ policy of selling or privatising PSUs, including LIC, BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao alleged on Wednesday.
Speaking at a poll rally here, Chief Minister Rao also said he designed the Dalit Bandhu scheme for Telangana after seeing the plight of Dalits including attacks on them in North Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and also in PM Modi’s home state Gujarat.
Exuding confidence that the BRS is going to win the November 30 Assembly polls, ‘come what may’ Rao, also known as KCR, said if the Congress is voted to power, they will abolish welfare schemes.
Taking a swipe at AICC former president Rahul Gandhi, the Telangana Chief Minister said the Congress leader does not know about agriculture and just reads scripts written by someone else.
Expressing criticism of Prime Minister Modi and the central government, he claimed, “There’s an aggressive push for privatization. They’re privatizing everything, including LIC, railways, and airports. They even considered privatizing the power sector. However, in Telangana, we’ve maintained government control over it.”
He further said the Modi-led government wanted to fix meters on the agriculture pumpsets and the BRS regime has not allowed it despite losing Rs 5,000 crore per annum.
On the Dalit Bandhu scheme, under which the state government gives Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to start any business, KCR said even now attacks are taking place against Dalits in some North India states and also Gujarat, which prompted the government to come out with the programme to provide a helping hand to SC people.
‘Even now in North India, everyday there are attacks on Dalits. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Prime Minister’s home state Gujarat, attacks are going on against Dalits. Women are being raped. What is this plight? Are we a democratic country…?’ he asked.
He said some political parties used to treat Dalits as vote banks and have not done anything for them when they were in power.
As the constituency shares the border with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Rao said ‘If there is a double road (big road) it is Telangana, a single road (small road) it is Andhra.’
(Published 01 November 2023, 12:20 IST)