Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao
The poll manifesto released by Telangana Rashtriya Smiti (TRS) has drawn severe criticism from the Opposition parties, which accused the ruling party of even “copying” their assurances and recycling its 2014 version.
TRS on Tuesday became the first of the blocks to release its manifesto, promising farm loan waiver of up to Rs 1 lakh, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,016 per month and doubling “Aasara” pension amounts, among others.
The partial manifesto was released by the caretaker Chief Minister and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chairman N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the TRS manifesto is a “copy” of the promises announced by the Congress in the last few months.
The Congress, which has announced it would fight the December seven poll in alliance with the TDP, CPI and the Telangana Jana Samiti, and the BJP which is going it alone, are yet to unveil their manifestos.
“...sensing a humiliating defeat, KCR (as the Rao is popularly known) has copied all the promises (made in recent times by the Congress) and presented them as TRS manifesto”, Reddy alleged.
“More than 4,500 farmers committed suicide due to the negligence of TRS government and not a single family got any assistance so far,” he charged.
BJP said it looks at the TRS manifesto as a “second attempt to deceive the people of Telangana” after the one before the 2014 elections.
Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said the TRS’ 2014 manifesto now “lies in the dustbin of KCR’s residence, as he is work-from-home CM, because none of those promises have been delivered.”
“We feel KCR released a bogus manifesto, same recycled manifesto of 2014 with percentage differences in the offers. So, whether it’s loan waiver, unemployment compensation... just increments from last manifesto which he has failed to deliver,” Krishna Saagar Rao told PTI.
CPI National General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said instead of giving unemployment allowance, the TRS government during its tenure spent lot of money for temples and festivals, by “misusing” state budget.
The TRS government also did not fill up two lakh vacant government jobs, Reddy alleged. “Instead of filling up those vacancies, KCR is promising unemployment allowance; this looks ridiculous and insulting and cheating the unemployed youth,” he said.
(With inputs form PTI)
