- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on a tour of southern India, on Saturday (12) took an indirect dig at K Chandrasekhar Rao, the first and current chief minister of the state of Telangana, by accusing him of corruption and dynastic politics.
The state needs “people first, not family first” government, he said in state capital Hyderabad.
BJP cares for the people of Telangana. We will fulfill their aspirations and work for the state's progress. https://t.co/f8xxZhZLhs
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 12, 2022
In his speech, Modi said many people ask him why doesn’t he get tired despite working very hard. “I don’t get tired because every day I eat 2-3 kg of gaalis (abuses)…God has blessed me in such a way that it gets converted into nutrition inside me,” he said.
“Abuse Modi, abuse BJP…but if you abuse the people of Telangana then you will pay a heavy price,” he added.
“I have a personal request for the karyakartas (party workers) of Telangana. Some people due to desperation, fear, and superstition will use the choicest of abuses for Modi. I request you not to get astray with these tactics,” he said.
Targetting Rao without naming him, Modi said, “People who have used the name of Telangana have made riches and have developed but the state went backwards. The ruling party leaders have been indulging in unjust practices with the rich talents of the region. The party that the state’s people trusted has deceived them the most.”
The prime minister’s remarks came ahead of the 2023 assembly elections in Telangana, India’s youngest state which was formed in 2014 and where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not been able to form a government yet.
PM Modi’s remarks come ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in the state, where the BJP is on the quest to get to power by dethroning the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
CM Rao’s son KT Rama Rao and nephew T Harish Rao hold significant ministerial posts in his government.
He also accused the state government of deliberately hindering his government’s development schemes in the state.
Modi also took a dig at Rao’s allegedly superstitious beliefs, claiming all crucial decisions — including the place of residence; office location; who to pick as minister etc. — are taken on the basis of superstition.
“Telangana is a centre of information technology. But superstition is being promoted in this modern city, which is very sad. If Telangana is to be developed, if we have to lift it from backwardness, then first we have to remove superstition from here,” Modi said.
