Hyderabad: BJP Telangana president N Ramchander Rao on Friday alleged that the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS had entered into a “quid pro quo” arrangement. He said the two parties were shielding each other from corruption allegations. Ramchander Rao made the charge at a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Hyderabad.
Rao said the allegations exchanged between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and BRS leaders had not addressed public concerns. These related to properties, corruption and alleged irregularities. He said both parties were trading accusations instead of taking action.
According to Rao, Congress had promised before the Assembly elections to reopen corruption cases against the previous BRS government. He alleged that the party had also promised arrests within 100 days of assuming office. However, Rao claimed the government had not delivered on that commitment.
He alleged that Congress and BRS had limited themselves to public statements on corruption. He contrasted this with what he described as corruption-free governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ramchander Rao questions Congress government over teachers’ issues
Rao also raised teachers’ grievances over transfers and deputations. Referring to GO 190, he claimed that only a fraction of nearly 4,000 eligible employees had benefited from the order. He condemned the arrest of teachers who protested near Gandhi Bhavan. Rao also questioned police action against teachers, farmers, students and political activists who raised public issues.
Turning to agriculture, Rao alleged that farmers were facing severe difficulties because of inadequate water and power supplies. He cited reports of crops drying up in Nalgonda district as borewells ran dry. He also alleged that police arrested farmers and BJP leaders while they were attempting to proceed towards Jurala.
With farmers reporting losses during the Kharif season, Rao demanded the immediate release of one instalment of Rythu Bharosa. He sought direct payment into farmers’ bank accounts before the Rabi season. Rao also criticised the government over alleged non-payment of premiums under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
According to Rao, farmers had suffered losses because of the alleged failure to pay the premiums. He recalled the Congress Warangal Farmer Declaration. He alleged that the government had not fulfilled its promise of a separate and improved crop insurance scheme.
Film and TV figures join BJP in presence of Ramchander Rao
Meanwhile, Rao claimed that dissatisfaction with both Congress and BRS was creating political space for the BJP. He appealed to intellectuals and politically active youth to join the party. Several people from the film and television industry joined the BJP during the programme.
They included TV artist and lawyer Swarnalatha, actor Laxman and senior cinematographers Suresh and Mahesh. They joined under the leadership of BJP State Cinema Cell Co-Convenor and actor Vaibhav Surya. Rao welcomed the new entrants by presenting them with party scarves.
Earlier in the day, Rao attended Swachh Bharat and Senior Citizens Day programmes in Hyderabad. At Chilakalguda in Secunderabad, he paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversary. Rao said cleanliness was a collective responsibility. He urged citizens to keep their homes, streets and towns clean.
Later, Rao spoke at the 23rd Senior Citizens Day programme organised by the Lions Club at A.V. College in Domalguda. He said the experience and wisdom of senior citizens remained valuable to society and younger generations. He also referred to Central government initiatives such as the Atal Pension Yojana and the expansion of Ayushman Bharat. He said citizens aged 70 and above were eligible for health coverage of up to Rs.5 lakh, subject to the scheme’s applicable provisions.
