I am not scared of Modi or anybody: Telangana Chief Minister KCR

HYDERABAD: A master strategist that he is, caretaker Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao has delivered a perfect political googly, forcing opposition parties to hurriedly redraw their strategies. Though speculation over early elections had been rife for the last one month, the swiftness with which Rao moved in one single day — right from the time the Cabinet passed a resolution to the Governor giving his nod and issuing the gazette notification —  left the opposition stunned and paralysed.

After a muted performance at the Pragathi Nivedana Sabha, when his opponents mocked him for what they called a lack lustre speech which showed his nervousness, Rao returned to his true style and was unsparing in his attack as he tore into his opponents, particularly the Congress, even as he listed out the achievements of his government. Rao called AICC president Rahul Gandhi ‘the biggest buffoon’ in the country, blasted the ‘unlimited idiocy’ of the Telangana Congress and called the TDP an Andhra party. 

While taking a volley of questions at the press meet, Rao sometimes hit the Opposition hard and gave replies in a witty manner. Claiming to be greater than former Chief Minister Marri Chenna Reddy, he said that he would win the early polls and prove that he was greater than Chandrababu Naidu who had gone for an early poll and lost it. VV Balakrishna brings to you the best parts of Rao's press conference:

Yours is now a caretaker government?
There is nothing called a caretaker government in the Constitution of India. It is more of a moral obligation. 

I know my limits and know when and where to stop. I will not take hasty or indiscriminate decisions.

The Congress termed your Pragathi Nivedana Sabha a flop.

Some Congress leaders commented that the TRS meeting was an utter flop. Some said KCR’s speech was a lacklustre affair. All Congress leaders are fools. At Pragathi Nivedana Sabha, I wanted to present the progress report. That was why I wasn’t harsh on the Opposition.  Once elections are announced, all the parties will criticise each other. The media will have a lot of work (laughs).

Will TRS announce new schemes in the election manifesto?
We have already implemented so many welfare and developmental schemes. We have implemented as many as 76 schemes like Kalyan Laxmi and Rythu Bandhu which were not listed in the manifesto. We did not know the financial status of the State when we formed the government. That is why we initially announced `50,116 for Kalyan Laxmi. In the last four years, the State registered 17.17 per cent economic growth. 

Therefore, we have increased the Kalyan Laxmi assistance to Rs 1 lakh. We have been trying to improve the revenues of the State further. Our policy is penchu (increase) and panchu (distribute). We will augment the State’s revenues further and distribute the wealth to the poor through welfare schemes. We have already constituted the election manifesto committee with 15 members, which is headed by party secretary-general K Keshava Rao. They will study and recommend some schemes. Vote for TRS which implemented massive welfare schemes and live happily (ee party ni gelipinchukoni challaga batakandi).

Will early polls benefit TRS?
Why not? KCR will be like a He-man like NTR. Marri Chenna Reddy failed to achieve Telangana. I have achieved Telangana and people thought that ‘Chenna Reddy kanna KCR mogadu (He-man)’. I will prove myself as a He-man, better than NTR.

How many seats do you think TRS will win?
All our surveys indicate that we will win over 100 seats. No party is even close to TRS. In as many as 82 Assembly constituencies, the TRS has 60 per cent vote share. In 100 constituencies, we will get more than 50 per cent votes. Even if all opposition parties joined hands, they cannot defeat TRS. I welcome the unity of all opposition parties. Assembly is dissolved. Let us go to people and prove ourselves.

You said that you won’t seek votes if Mission Bhagiratha was not completed. But, you are going to polls now.

Who told you that Mission Bhagiratha has not been completed? Bulk water supply to all the villages, except 1,100, is going on.  In the next few days, those 1,100 villages too will get bulk supply. The door-to-door water supply is already being provided to 40 per cent of the households. Why do you worry? If Mission Bhagiratha is not completed, then people will decide. Even as the Congress termed the Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya as ‘Commission Kakatiya’, several international organisations presented the awards for these two schemes. Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha have won more than 40 awards.

Double bedroom houses have not been completed, right?
Who said so? Construction of double bedroom houses is going on and we will construct 2.6 lakh houses. The work has not stopped.

Will TRS forge an alliance with its friendly party MIM as all opposition parties uniting against TRS?
MIM is our friend. However, in segments where MIM will contest, TRS candidates too will be in the fray. There will be a friendly contest between TRS and MIM. How can Congress forge alliance with TDP which is an Andhra party? AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote letters against the construction of irrigation projects in Telangana. The Congress should feel shy of allying with such a party.

Had you preferred Assembly elections along with Lok Sabha polls, the anti-Modi wave would have helped you. Don’t you think so?
(laughs) Who knows if there will be an anti-Modi wave or pro-Modi wave? Some people may have love for Modi like our Rahul Gandhi who winked at him and hugged him in the Parliament.

Are you scared of Modi wave? Is that why you are going for early polls?
This is KCR. KCR is not scared of anybody or Modi. KCR is only scared of people.

Will you forge an alliance with BJP for Lok Sabha elections?
(In a lighter vein) The horoscopes of BJP and TRS will not match. Our gotrams (lineage) are different. The TRS is a secular party and it will remain so forever.

But, BJP is expecting a huge number of seats in Assembly elections.
I wish I was the Prime Minister. Will I become Prime Minister? Everyone knows the strength of BJP in Telangana. It will be great if BJP can retain its seats.

What is the status of your proposed Federal Front?
Federal Front is meant for development of the country and people. The Federal Front is demanding devolution of more subjects to States. There should not be a concurrent list at all. Why should the Union government deal with subjects like education, health, rural and urban development? Let the Centre transfer these subjects to States. I will unite all the political parties in the country on this.

Who will become Chief Minister?
No doubt that KCR will become Chief Minister (read not KTR).

Senior leader D Srinivas wanted the party to expel him. Will you?
We have respect for DS. We honoured his request and sent him to the Rajya Sabha. But now, he is against the party. We will not do anything against him. If he wants to continue in TRS, let him continue. Otherwise, let him leave.

There are doubts about the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Will you demand paper ballots this time?

We are ready for EVMs or paper ballot. But, usually the party which is defeated in elections blames EVMs. If EVMs are tampered with, then the ruling parties will remain in power forever. 

You supported the idea of joint elections for State Assemblies and Lok Sabha. But you have called for early elections now. Why sudden U-turn?

The Election Commission made it clear that joint elections were not possible. The central government did not pursue the matter later. There are no joint elections now in the country. That is why I took my own decision and decided to go to polls along with four other States — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and two others.

The Congress has also announced several sops. Do you think that will be threat for TRS?
It is very childish behaviour. When TRS is giving Rs 1,000 as Asara pension, the Congress announced Rs 2,000. The Congress, which never thought of the welfare of the poor, is now on a spree of announcing sops, without even applying their mind. That is a victory for TRS.