Rao accused the Congress of indulging in divisive politics and misleading marginalised communities in the name of caste, creed and religion.
Hyderabad: Newly appointed Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao hit back at Congress criticism over his upper-caste background, declaring that he would resign if the Congress also replaces Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who belongs to an upper caste, with a leader from a backward class, SC or ST community.
Addressing his first press conference after taking over from Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, Rao accused the Congress of indulging in divisive politics and misleading marginalised communities in the name of caste, creed and religion. He challenged the party to implement its promise of 42 per cent reservation for backward classes ahead of the local body polls if it truly believed in social justice.
Calling the Congress's recent meeting on social equality a political stunt aimed at criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rao urged the ruling party to focus on governance rather than theatrics. Brushing aside claims that he was a “soft choice” for the party leadership, Rao launched a combative attack on the Congress and asserted that the responsibility to implement BC reservations lies squarely with the state government, not the Centre.
Countering the perception that the BJP is an urban-centric party, Rao pointed out that the majority of the party’s elected representatives in the Assembly, Council and Lok Sabha hail from rural constituencies. He said BJP membership in Telangana has crossed 40 lakh, with a strong presence even in remote districts like Adilabad and Mulugu.
Declaring a “holy war” against the Congress for failing to honour its election promises, Rao said he had immediately signed an open letter to the Chief Minister, demanding implementation of assurances made to farmers, students, women, senior citizens, employees and other groups. “The Congress promised to fulfill six guarantees and 63 additional assurances in 100 days. But even after 600 days, not a single promise has been delivered,” Rao said.
He also questioned the Congress's claim of having created 65,000 jobs, reminding the government of its promise to release a job calendar and fill two lakh posts. He accused both the BRS and Congress of mismanagement and corruption, saying their flawed policies had driven the once-prosperous Telangana into financial distress.
Rao accused Congress leaders in Telangana of deliberately creating an artificial urea shortage and blaming the Centre, even though the Union government had supplied 12.90 lakh metric tonnes—two lakh metric tonnes more than what the state had requested. “I am ready to provide proof. The Congress should stop misleading farmers,” he said.
Reflecting on his journey from grassroots activism—cycling for party work, pasting posters and serving as a booth in-charge—Rao said his key task now is to convert the BJP’s growing support base into electoral victories in the days to come.
