Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of misleading the public regarding the party’s promises to the Backward Classes (BCs) in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. KTR, in a scathing attack, suggested that Rahul Gandhi change his name to “Election Gandhi,” criticizing the Congress for failing to implement the BC declaration made during the election campaign.
In a statement posted on social media, KTR blasted the Congress government for its failure to deliver on the promises made to the BCs. He described the BC declaration as a “100 percent lie,” and referred to the Congress party’s actions as a “shameless peddling of lies” in the name of the BC declaration.
“Lies! Damn lies! Nothing but lies! Yesterday’s Assembly session clarified two things to the people of Telangana – the disastrous government that has no clarity and the lies you shamelessly peddled in the name of BC Declaration,” KTR said, responding to the recent developments in the Assembly.
KTR’s remarks were in reaction to the Congress government’s failure to introduce a legally binding bill to implement the 42 percent reservation for BCs in local bodies, a promise made during the Assembly elections in Kamareddy. He accused the Congress government of making empty promises without taking any real legislative action.
“While the government is clueless on the data presented yesterday, it is clear that you never had the intention to even work towards a 42 percent BC reservation. The stark U-turn by your Congress government and then shamelessly passing on the buck to the central government clearly shows how committed you are. Proved yet again that all your guarantees and promises and declarations are nothing but political posturing,” KTR continued.
The Congress had promised to increase BC reservations in local bodies to 42 percent, up from the current 23 percent, within six months of coming to power. They also pledged to allocate 42 percent reservations for BCs in government civil construction and maintenance contracts. However, KTR accused the government of merely issuing a statement instead of bringing forward a bill for implementation.
“You should change your name to Election Gandhi. Your BC declaration is a 100 percent lie, and your commitment is a 100 percent farce,” KTR said, addressing Rahul Gandhi directly.
KTR further criticized the Congress government for failing to introduce the promised bill during the special legislative session and called it a mere “announcement” that did not translate into tangible action. He emphasized that BC communities across the state had expected the government to take concrete steps, but were instead met with empty rhetoric.
KTR also referenced previous events, recalling how Congress leader Revanth Reddy had urged people to avoid providing their details during the Comprehensive Household Survey conducted under the BRS regime. He questioned how the current government could refuse to acknowledge data collected in a transparent survey, which was conducted by the previous BRS government.
Highlighting the significance of the Samagra Kutumba Survey, which had identified BCs as comprising 51 percent of the population (increasing to 61 percent when BC Muslims are included), KTR pointed out discrepancies in the data presented by the Congress government. He criticized the manipulation of statistics, questioning how the BC population could have dropped from 51 percent to 46 percent in the current survey.
As the debate over BC reservations intensifies, KTR’s comments have ignited a sharp political confrontation between the ruling BRS and the Congress party, with each side accusing the other of failing the people of Telangana.