"One Chief Minister Wearing A Lungi...": KCR Slams Yogi Adityanath

Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday hit out at his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath saying he is coming to Telangana and preaching lessons when there is no food guarantee for people in his own state.

Speaking at three different rallies in the run-up to the November 30 Assembly elections, KCR, seeking votes for his party's candidate, ridiculed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, saying he is talking in Telangana about Siddaramaiah-led government's five hours of free power to farmers where BRS government offers 24 hours to peasants.

"Several great people are descending in the state. One Chief Minister from Uttar Pradesh, wearing a lungi, will come here. There is no food guarantee in his state. He comes here and teaches us lessons. Agriculture labourers from UP, Bihar and Bengal are coming to Telangana for work. They are coming here for livelihood. Those chief ministers are teaching us lessons. I don't understand what I should say about it," Mr Rao said, hitting out at Yogi Adityanath.

KCR said the state has been progressing and has become number one in several parameters such as per capita income and power.

"BRS protects Telangana like the legendary Karna's Kavach (from the Mahabharat). BRS was born for Telangana state, its development and to protect Telangana people and their rights," he added.

"Congress leaders never thought of irrigation projects that would benefit Telangana people," KCR said, referring to the Nagarjuna Sagar irrigation project.

He alleged that the Congress party has been power hungry for the past ten years in Telangana and if it comes to power, the middlemen's regime will come.

Listing out the promises made in the BRS manifesto, Mr Rao said amounts for social pensions and Rythu Bandhu will be increased in a phased manner.

Mr Rao said Telangana which used to witness drought and migration, has been witnessing development owing to peace and tranquility.

"Telangana is number one in per capita income and per capita power consumption. Earlier the per capita power consumption now doubled to 2200 units from the earlier 1100 units," he added.

He said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat also does not provide free power for 24 hours to farmers.

Without naming the Congress, he alleged the Muslims and Dalits were treated as vote-banks earlier.

He said several people will come during elections seeking votes and people should be vigilant.

Alleging that the Congress party cheated Telangana people, the BRS chief said the grand old party delayed the formation of the state for 14-15 years despite promising it.

"It is not that you (Congress) gave Telangana, but we earned it," he asserted.

Telangana is the first state to have implemented Rythu Bandhu, investment support to farmers, he said.

The Congress Party says they will abolish Dharani, an integrated land management portal, if they come to power, a move that would give a chance to the middlemen era again, he alleged.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)