Priyanka Gandhi hits out at KCR over 'unkept promises'

Hyderabad, May 8:  After winding up the election campaign in Karnataka, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi flew into Hyderabad to train guns on BRS government for not keeping its promises, setting the tone for Congress campaign for upcoming Telangana Assembly elections.

Addressing her maiden public meeting in Telangana, she targeted the KCR-led government for failing to fulfill poll promises and realise the dreams of Telangana martyrs.

Recalling that it was her mother and then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who delivered Telangana state without bothering about the political damage the party would suffer, Priyanka Gandhi appealed to people to bring Congress to power in the elections scheduled in next few months.

Realising the youth charter of the party, the Congress leader said if the party failed to deliver on the promises made in it, people can hold the party accountable and remove it from power after five years.

The Congress organised the massive public meeting at Saroornagar stadium, focusing on the problems of youth and the unemployed.

Priyanka Gandhi appealed to people to become politically conscious and choose a party which can take the state forward and give them a secured future.

Stating that youth have the biggest responsibility, she cautioned the people if they failed to take a politically conscious decision, the loss would be theirs.

She also cautioned people against parties misleading them in the name of religion and caste. "They provoke you at the time of elections and do nothing for the next five years. They come again after five years to whip up your sentiments and win the election again," she said.

In an apparent dig at KCR, as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is popularly known, Priyanka Gandhi said that the Telangana state became a reality not because of any one leader but because of the movement of all sons and daughters of Telangana and hundreds of martyrs who laid down their lives.

She said those who sacrificed their lives for Telangana wanted jobs for youth, rights for future generations, remunerative prices for farmers and development of all districts at par with Hyderabad.

She recalled that water, funds and employment was the slogan of Telangana. She remarked that only those ruling the state and those close to them have got water, funds and jobs.

Priyanka Gandhi said her family made many sacrifices for the country. She said Sonia Gandhi understood what people of Telangana wanted. "It was not an easy decision. It was a difficult one. If she had thought about the political loss, it would have been difficult to take the decision," she said.

Attacking the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Priyanka said its leaders behave as if Telangana is their 'jagir' (fief).

She said 3 farmers end their lives in Telangana every day and claimed that 8,000 farmers committed suicide in last nine years. She said 2.5 lakh farmers still have a debt burden of Rs 1.5 lakh each.

She said the KCR government failed to fulfill its promise of job to every house, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 and to fill 2 lakh vacancies.

"In last 9 years, there was no recruitment in 12 state universities. Private universities have been established which loot the people," she said.

The Congress leader said the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak affected thousands of students who had written exams after hard work.

She alleged that no action was taken against those involved in the paper leak and to support the students who were affected by cancellations of exams.

Responding to state Congress president Revanth Reddy calling her 'New Indiramma', Priyanka Gandhi said whenever people call her Indiramma, she feels a huge responsibility.

"People still remember the leader who laid down her life in 1984. She was an honest leader dedicated to the country," she said.

The youth charter released at the meeting promised Rs 4,000 as unemployment allowance. Priyanka Gandhi assured the youth that unlike the BRS, which did not fulfill the promise of Rs 3,000 unemployment allowance, the Congress will keep its promise.

The Congress also promised to fill 2 lakh vacancies in government departments, annual job calendar and a government job each and pension for the families of Telangana martyrs.