BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over his remarks comparing the BJP to Ravan and Congress to Ram, while raising drought and election-related issues.
BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao on Monday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, charging that he had no moral right to compare himself with Lord Rama and should instead be compared with Osama bin Laden.
Reacting to Revanth Reddy’s remarks in Goa that “BJP is Ravan and Congress is Ram,” Ramchander Rao said the Chief Minister’s words were shameful. Therefore, he had no right to take Lord Rama’s name. He asked whether it was not the Congress that had filed affidavits in courts, calling Lord Rama a fictional character. He said the party had also used senior advocates in the Supreme Court to stop construction of the Ram temple. He questioned why Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders did not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. He also recalled Revanth’s earlier statement that “Muslim is Congress and Congress is Muslim.”
Ramchander Rao also attacked the Congress over the Emergency, the imprisonment of lakhs of people, forced family planning measures and the dismissal of elected governments nine times. He asked how Revanth Reddy could give moral lectures in Goa when liquor and drugs were flowing “like a river” in Telangana.
The BJP leader accepted the challenge of Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, who claimed that votes had gone missing. He said the Minister need not bring thousands of people to the State Chief Electoral Officer’s office. “Bring at least 10 people whose votes were deleted. Bring Asaduddin and Akbaruddin Owaisi also. I will come. Let us check the computer records,” he said.
He said not a single vote was deleted without notice or inquiry. He challenged that if it was proved that an eligible voter’s vote was deleted, it would be restored as per rules. “If you cannot prove it, apologise,” he said.
Ramchander Rao alleged that the Chief Minister was ignoring the drought in the state. He said farmers were struggling due to lack of drinking and irrigation water following the El Niño effect. He said he had visited the Jurala and Nagarjuna Sagar projects and several villages to assess the situation. He also met the family of a farmer who died by suicide in Adilabad.
He said the chief secretary had sent a “most immediate” note on October 9 to review the drought. Yet, he alleged, Revanth Reddy cancelled the emergency Cabinet meeting and went to Delhi with 60 MLAs and ministers in special flights. He demanded implementation of the Fasal Bima Yojana and clarity on water and power supply for the Rabi crop. He warned that the BJP would launch a strong public movement otherwise.
He said Rahul Gandhi would not be allowed to enter Telangana until student fee reimbursement was paid and the six poll guarantees were implemented for farmers, BCs and Dalits.
Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay said the Chief Minister had “skipped a few pages of the Congress textbook.” He said Revanth Reddy described the Congress as Ram and the BJP as Ravan on one day, while on another day he criticised the BJP for saying “Jai Shri Ram” instead of “Har Har Mahadev.”
The minister also referred to the Chief Minister’s reported remark that “Muslims are Congress and Congress is Muslims.” He said the Chief Minister should revise his own script before his next speech.
Sanjay alleged that the Congress was spreading “political poison” and hurting the sentiments of Hindus. He said Sanatana Dharma and crores of Hindus would never forgive the party for such remarks.
