Published 11:15 IST, October 3rd 2018
Shashi Tharoor calls KCR 'Chota Modi', says 'Government of Telangana is acting as a surrogate to Modi
Principle parties in Telangana are charting out their strategies, expecting elections to be announced for the state somewhere at the end of November.
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Telangana is prepping up for an intense battle. Stalwarts from every major political party are making a beeline to the state to indulge in a battle of wits. Political mudslinging, allegations and counter allegations will become the order of the day for the next few days or even months. All this, even as the Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet to formally announce polling dates for the youngest state in India. Principle parties in Telangana are charting out their strategies, expecting elections to be announced for the state somewhere in the end of November.
It is in this frenzied atmosphere that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor stepped into Hyderabad for a two-day tour to bolster the party's efforts to capture power in the state. No sooner did he step into Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, Tharoor expectedly trained his guns against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR).
Drawing many parallels between PM Modi and KCR, Tharoor said, "We are heading into elections and we only have a few months to undo the terrible price people have paid by electing Modi and Chota Modi KCR in 2014. Mistakes are common in democracy. Voters can undo their mistakes in the coming elections."
"Government of Telangana is acting as a surrogate to Modi. Look at the No Confidence Motion. KCR abstained from voting for the neighbours (Andhra Pradesh). Look at the GST. Every anti-people policy of the Centre was supported by KCR. A vote for TRS is a vote for Modi. There's an unholy alliance by the TRS with a Hindutva party in Delhi. If you believe that the rule has been disastrous, then vote TRS out," lambasted Tharoor.
During the second half of his speech, Tharoor fired all his salvos towards the Prime Minister.
"Modi's speeches (for so many years) have been good in diagnosing problems faced by country but there has been no tangible benefits of his dissection. Demonitisation is a terrible example. People in micro enterprises lost their jobs because money dried up. It's a criminal act," claimed Tharoor.
"The GST was blocked. The rollout was hasty and the Centre was ill prepared. It collapsed more often than it connected. Every small shop has to file 37 forms. It has only done good for chartered accountants as people were forced to approach them for filling these forms," Tharoor quipped.
Tharoor ended his speech by touching upon topics such as Rafeal deal, the growth rate of agriculture, lynchings and urged people to vote out the BJP and the TRS governments.
23:25 IST, October 2nd 2018