Hyderabad: Telangana Minister and BRS leader KTR Rao took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit to poll-bound Telangana's Nizamabad district on Saturday, labeling him 'Pappu' and asserting that Rahul lacks knowledge about the history of Telangana. In a sharp criticism of Rahul Gandhi, KTR Rao claimed that before seeking votes, the Congress leader should apologize to the people of Telangana for the forced merger of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from 1956 to 2014.
"Rahul Gandhi does not know the history of Telangana; he is 'Pappu.' The place where Rahul Gandhi had come today was the same Nizamabad where Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather Nehru ji had forced the marriage between Andhra and Telangana. Before asking for votes from the people of Telangana, Rahul Gandhi should apologize for forcibly merging Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from 1956 to 2014 until the formation of Telangana," Rao told the media. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, concluding a prolonged struggle that began in 1952. K Chandrasekhar Rao assumed office as the first Chief Minister of the new state on June 2, 2014.
KTR Rao criticized Rahul Gandhi, expressing sympathy for the Congress leader's limited understanding of Telangana's history. "The people here are fully aware of the history of Congress. For the knowledge Rahul Gandhi has about the history of Telangana, I feel sorry for him. If Rahul Gandhi talks about corruption today, people will laugh because the Congress party itself is immersed in corruption," stated the BRS leader. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting in Nizamabad district, targeting K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and accusing him and his family members in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi of corruption. Rahul alleged that key lucrative ministries were controlled by KCR's family.
"The most money-making ministries are in the hands of KCR’s family. Most of the money is made on land, liquor, and sand, and all of them are under the control of KCR and his family members," asserted Rahul Gandhi. He further criticized KCR, saying, "If you (KCR) were not corrupt, then these three ministries would not have been in the hands of your family. Your MLAs take a cut of Rs 3 lakh under the Dalit Bandhu scheme. You are diverting money from the SC/ST sub-plan."
Addressing the audience at the public meeting, Rahul Gandhi predicted, "In the last two years, you have seen the 'Dorala' government, a family government. For the next 10 years, you will get to see the 'Prajala' government." Telangana is scheduled to hold assembly polls on November 30, with the ruling BRS, Congress, and BJP as the primary contenders. Vote counting will occur on December 3.
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