BRS Crying Foul Unable to Accept Poll Defeat: Ponguleti
The minister asked party workers not to be disappointed that an ally, the CPI, holds the Kothagudem Assembly seat, and assured them of his support in addressing any issues
Nalgonda: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Thursday said Opposition parties were deliberately levelling false allegations about the conduct of the gram panchayat elections as they were unable to accept the people’s rejection of them.
Addressing a meeting of newly elected Congress sarpanches at his camp office in Vidhyanagar, Chunchupally, in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, he alleged that the BRS was indulging in wanton criticism of the polls to tarnish the image of the Congress government. He claimed that newspapers associated with the “pink party” were publishing reports with incorrect figures to create an impression that the BRS had dominated the gram panchayat elections. Such false propaganda would not work with the people of Telangana, he said, asserting that the electorate had clearly backed the Congress in the recently concluded polls. He added that similar results would be reflected in the upcoming ZPTC and MPTC elections.
The minister said the outcome of the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll was a verdict on the performance of the Congress government, which has completed two years in office. The government’s commitment to implementing welfare schemes and development programmes had built public confidence, he added.
Stating that the Congress is the foundation of Grama Swarajyam, Srinivas Reddy pointed out that Congress-backed candidates had won nearly 70 per cent of the sarpanch posts in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district. He said the party’s strong performance in the gram panchayat elections reflected public faith in Indiramma Rajyam. Village-level party cadre played a crucial role in electoral victories and in nurturing leadership, he said.
He alleged that the previous BRS government had resorted to undemocratic practices and targeted Congress leaders at the village level. In contrast, he said, the Congress government ensured free and fair polling in the gram panchayat elections and remained committed to strengthening local leadership and panchayats for comprehensive village development.
The minister asked party workers not to be disappointed that an ally, the CPI, holds the Kothagudem Assembly seat, and assured them of his support in addressing any issues. He also promised support to Congress-backed candidates who lost the panchayat elections by narrow margins. He said extensive Congress meetings would be held in all Assembly constituencies after the Sankranti festival, during which newly elected sarpanches would be felicitated.
Reiterating that the Congress government would fulfil all its promises despite financial constraints inherited from the previous regime, he said effective implementation of welfare schemes over the past two years had paved the way for the party’s success in the gram panchayat elections.
About 400 newly elected sarpanches and a large number of Congress ward members attended the meeting. District Congress Committee president Thota Prasanna, Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao, Pinapaka MLA Payam Venkateshwarlu, Yellandu MLA Koram Kanakaiah and Ashwaraopet MLA Jale Adinarayana were also present.