Published 23:12 IST, November 27th 2020
JP Nadda hits out at TRS for calling GHMC polls 'street election', slams Cong in Hyderabad
JP Nadda highlighted the Modi government's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and also accused the ruling TRS government of widespread corruption.
With just three days to go for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, BJP national President JP Nadda addressed a public gathering on Friday in Telangana's capital city. The BJP chief highlighted the Modi government's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and also accused the ruling TRS government of widespread corruption. Nadda also responded to the repeated digs by TRS leaders on high-profile leaders visiting Hyderabad to campaign for the BJP.
Responding to the TRS' jibe of national leaders campaigning in Telangana, Nadda said, "Prior to my visit, they (TRS) were saying that for a street election, a national leader is coming. Now you understand their mentality. It is the disrespect of the electorate of Hyderabad. In a democracy, is Hyderabad a street? 74 lakh voters, 5 Lok Sabha seats, 24 Vidhan Sabha and more than 1 crore of population and they find it a street. Even if you find it a street, we will visit every place to destroy your corruption."
The BJP chief also attacked the Congress for teaming up with Gupkar alliance. Highlighting Farooq Abdullah's remarks of seeking China's help to restore Article 370, Nadda said, "While continuing to oppose Modi ji, Congress has started opposing the country and has stood with the Gupkar Gang."
'Looks like a tourist season'
TRS leader and CM Chandrashekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha, on Thursday, took a dig at the BJP as it unleashed its big guns in a bid to make a presence in Southern India. Referring to campaigning by prominent BJP leaders in Hyderabad, K Kavitha remarked that it seemed as if it is a 'tourist season' in Telangana, highlighting that the leaders holding rallies in the city now had been missing in the need of the hour. The TRS leader also alleged that the Centre has been 'discriminating' against Telangana.
Speaking to Republic TV on Thursday, the former MP said, "This looks like a tourist season here in Telangana. All the big leaders from BJP are visiting Hyderabad and let me remind you, they never visited Hyderabad during floods. These people never visited Hyderabad during any calamity and nor during Corona. They did not check up on us as a state or as a population."
GHMC elections
The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) announced that 150 GHMC divisions will go to polls on December 1 and the counting of votes will be done on December 4. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the polling time has been extended by one hour, i.e., from 7 am to 6 pm. The current term of the GHMC council ends in February 2021 and in the 2016 elections, AIMIM won 44 seats, TRS won 99. BJP won 4 seats, Congress won 2 and TDP won one seat.
Updated 23:12 IST, November 27th 2020