BRS Co-opts People as Its Campaigners for J Hills Bypoll
“If Congress loses in Jubilee Hills, it will benefit entire Telangana, force the government to implement welfare schemes,” Harish Rao said.
Hyderabad: The BRS, intent on retaining the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat in the November 11 byelection, has intensified its outreach to people, with a focus on coopting them as not just its campaigners, but as the influencers on how people might vote on the polling day.
On Monday, party working president K.T. Rama Rao, and senior leader T. Harish Rao led BRS leaders on the campaign trail, travelling in autorickshaws with a call to drivers in the constituency to be the drivers of BRS’ success. This was soon followed by Harish Rao meeting with members from the washermen community at Telangana Bhavan while Rama Rao reached out to Muslims, addressing a large gathering in Shamshabad.
Rama Rao, after travelling in an autorickshaw from Jubilee Hills checkpost to Telangana Bhavan, narrated the story of Mashrat Ali, a driver who had driven Congress leader Rahul Gandhi before the 2023 Assembly election. Rama Rao said: “Today, Ali’s plight is that he had to sell his two autos, and works for some. Rahul Gandhi promised to establish an Auto Drivers’ Welfare Board and to provide `12,000 annual financial assistance to every driver. Two years later, none of those promises have been fulfilled.”
Soon after, Harish Rao, who too reached Telangana Bhavan in an autorickshaw, addressed a meeting of washermen community representatives with a similar appeal to them.
Urging the community to understand how the Congress government was targeting them, and calling on it to support the BRS candidate, Harish Rao recalled that a woman, Balamani, who runs an ironing shop in Borabanda, was slapped with a `21,000 electricity bill. “It was KCR who honored the Rajaka (washermen) community by honouring Chakali Ailamma, and making her contributions and history known to the world. It was KCR and the BRS government that gave 250 units of free electricity to washermen even without them asking for it,” Harish Rao said.
“If Congress loses in Jubilee Hills, it will benefit entire Telangana, force the government to implement welfare schemes,” he said.
