Union Home Minister Amit Shah took on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) for his alliance with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
In an attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief, Amit Shah said, "You have broken the dreams of the fighters of Telangana Mukti Sangram by sitting with Owaisi for the last nine years". Amit Shah was addressing the 'Raithu Gosa-BJP Bharosa' rally at Khammam.
Referring to the AIMIM as the 'Razakars', the Union Home Minister said, "I want to tell KCR, that the youths of Telangana had laid down their lives for the state's liberation, not to sit down with the Razakars."
The Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force of Hyderabad Nizam at the time of Hyderabad's integration into the Indian state. It is believed that the AIMIM has its roots in this paramilitary force which had resisted Hyderabad's Liberation.
Speaking about the actions taken by the KCR government against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the state, Amit Shah said, "KCR thinks that if they oppress the BJP workers, BJP won't rebel. They arrested our leaders when we were fighting against corruption. They arrested Bandi Sanjay Kumar, pushed out Eleta Rajender from the Assembly..."
Accusing the Telangana Chief Minister of nepotism, Amit Shah said that everyone is aware that KCR wants his son KTR to head the state after him. However, Amit Shah said that it will not happen in this upcoming election.
"We know that you (KCR) want to make KTR the Chief Minister of the state, but this time neither KCR nor KTR will become the Chief Minister. This time someone from the BJP will become the Chief Minister," Amit Shah said.
The Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled at the end of this year. The state is going to witness a three-pronged contest among the BJP, the ruling BRS and the Congress. The Telangana election will serve as a litmus test for the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA alliance before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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