Bhatti Says Congress Welfare Wins, Voters Punish BRS

Bhatti alleged that BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was resorting to derogatory language out of frustration over the growing acceptance of the Congress government. He was speaking at public meeting at Patha Pinapaka in Tallada mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district after laying the foundation stone for several sub-station works.

Bhatti said the people had clearly expressed their mandate by electing Congress-backed candidates as sarpanches in about 85 per cent of the seats in the recent elections. He said this overwhelming verdict reflected the trust of villagers in the welfare measures being implemented by the Congress government.
Referring to Rao’s recent remarks in which he allegedly used the phrase “we will skin the Congress,” Bhatti said such language was unbecoming of a senior leader. He remarked that after remaining confined to his farmhouse for nearly two years, Rao’s return to public discourse was expected to be constructive. Instead, he chose to make comments that were inappropriate and insensitive, Bhatti alleged, adding sarcastically that he did not know when Rao had taken up “skinning” as a profession.

Bhatti asked why Rao, despite being the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), had failed to attend the Assembly even for a single day over two years. He asked whether a leader who avoided the Assembly had the moral right to continue as Opposition leader. Recalling his own tenure as LoP, Bhatti said that during the decade when the Congress was in the opposition, he had never missed an Assembly session and consistently raised public issues.

Warning against threats and intimidation, Bhatti said the Congress would not remain silent if leaders sitting in small groups attempted to browbeat those working for the people. He asserted that the panchayat elections were conducted in a free and democratic manner and that despite campaigning by BRS supporters, the people decisively favoured Congress-backed candidates.

He said Telangana was witnessing rapid progress, with leaders from across the country and major industrialists appreciating the state’s development. Unable to accept this change and fearing political irrelevance, KCR made baseless allegations, he alleged. Bhatti said ultimately it would be the people who would deliver the final verdict.