Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who released the party election manifesto for 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls on Friday, asserted that the party was eyeing the chief minister’s chair.
The TRS also announced the first list of the party’s Assembly candidates and ruled out alliances and asserted that the party will go it alone in the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah’s maiah's remark that the TRS had ignored an alliance with the Congress for the CM’s post, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao surprised everyone by saying that the party indeed was aiming for the chief
minister’s post.
“Ponnala says KCR did not go for an alliance with the Congress since I was eyeing the CM’s gaddi. I am power hungry. Is it wrong if a TRS man
becomes CM? Yes, we decided on it. Why not?” he said.
“Shouldn’t a TRS leader become CM? Why are you so jealous? We will certainly dream about becoming CM; 100 per cent. How come you are
eligible and not us?” asked Mr Chandrasekhar Rao in his own inimitable style.
Promising a transparent, political corruption free, people, industry and employee-friendly government, the TRS manifesto includes waiver of
crop loan up to Rs 1 lakh, housing loans for weaker sections, 12 per cent reservation for minorities, STs, creation of 14 new districts etc.
It promised to make Hyderabad a world class city with IT software and hardware hubs, establish a new airport, ensure 24 hour water/ power
supply, a pollution and traffic jam free clean and green city, new satellite townships, cleaning of Musi and Hussain Sagar etc.
“Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah and other Congress leaders should stop abusing us and we will stop abusing them. There is no point in abusing each
other. You tell your agenda, we spell out ours. People will decide,” he added.
Warning that Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah and others involved in irrigation and other scams would have to pay for their misdeeds, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao pointed out that though his party leader, Mr Kadiam Srihari was irrigation minister, he was “spotless”.
“The new state of Telangana faces several new challenges. We have to face power crisis and other issues. It will take two to two and half
years to settle. Our top priority is welfare. We will transform Telangana into a vibrant state in five years," said the TRS supremo while releasing the 32-page election manifesto at Telangana Bhavan.
Mr Chandrasekhar also lashed out at Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, describing him as a “shani” and a “pucca Samaikhyawadi”. “This man (Mr Naidu) said in a public meeting that if he had more MPs he could have stopped Telangana. My appeal to people of Telangana is that they should bury Telugu Desam. Don’t allow proxy Andhra rule over Telangana. Do you need a proxy rule or self rule?” he asked.
The TRS chief also said that a new TRS government in Telangana would take back all assigned lands, Bhoodan lands, wakf and gurukul trust
lands usurped by unscrupulous elements. TRS, which will be going alone for the first time in general elections after tie ups with Congress in 2004 and Telugu Desam in 2009, gave top priority to welfare, agriculture, industry, IT, employment generation, power sector, drinking water, irrigation and housing.
