Telangana elections: In Twitter Q&A with followers, KTR says TRS will win 100 plus seats

HYDERABAD: With Telangana elections five days away, IT minister Rao did a Q&A with his followers on Twitter as he 'battled well, bowled well and fielded well', as cricket captains would say of the 'boys' after a match win. Except here, the optimism was of winning the big electoral match on December 7 when the state goes to polls. He also 'ducked' well to certain questions or making light of them when it pertained to opposition leaders.

"Ramu" as his father chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao calls him at home, KTR responded to questions with her characteristic wit and one-word answers. "A man who will get a pink slip after December 11," KTR said at TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy predicting defeat for him in the Huzurnagar constituency. He also said the difference in elections in 2014 and 2018 was that the opposition was desparate this time.



In reply to a question from Chandra Harsha about the having a presidential system of government in the country, KT Rama Rao said he favoured a debate on that.




MIM and TRS have declared themselves to be friendly parties but with the MIM fielding a candidate from Rajendranagar, KT Rama Rao emphatically said TRS would win. Like the party has always been maintaining, KTR reiterated a win for the TRS with 100 plus seats. "Prepare well. Clarity of thought leads to clarity of expression," the minister said responding to a question 'the secret behind his eloquent speeches' from Palla Nishant.



So will KTR really sit at home if the TRS loses the election as he had repeatedly declared? "Wait till 11th," was KTR’s reply to Vizag Vaasi.



KTR also took a dig at AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu. To a question, he said, "I am sure, he also named the moon after himself." And the laughter emoticon followed after the comment. The minister said the big notes ban introduced by the centre did not work. Will the 'skilled leader' change like Congress politicians in the future? KTR’s response: "Thanks. I am too old to change now." To a question on his health because of campaigning, he said, "All good. Thanks." On the vote for note came, he said 'it will reach its logical end.'

"Telangana seamstress and TDP leaders have to find their spine," KTR said in response to a question on politicians from Karnataka and Andhra campaigning for the Mahakutami. The minister also responded to a question on former Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal predicting that independents would win 8-10 seats and they would have a say in the formation of the next government. "Joke," he said reacting to the question on the prediction. "His antics didn’t stop Telangana when he was in parliament. His fake surveys won't do squat," he said about Lagadapati.

To a suggestion from Rajesh he said he would 'pass on the suggestion' to KCR about forming Andhra Rashtra Samithi. KTR said the BJP rule at the centre had been a 'big letdown' and that he expects to win from his Sircilla constituency with a 'respectable majority'. "I certainly wish he does," KTR said while replying to a question to wish that irrigation minister T Harish Rao wins with a majority of one lakh votes.

KTR was asked for his opinion on AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu’s political strategies by Goverdhan and his response was that they were ‘manipulative and Machiavellian’. He also described the BJP as a non-entity in Telangana. The minister warded off a question on Congress party president Rahul Gandhi and AP’s IT minister N Lokesh. "No comments," he said when asked if he loved North Indian Pappu or South Indian Pappu.

On huge public debt, KTR said when investment is made in capital asset creation, it would pay off.

KTR answered quite a few questions pertaining to the development of Hyderabad. He said Rs 23 crore had been sanctioned for cleaning of Ibrahim Cheruru near Nekampur. He said work had already commenced on cleaning 40 lakes at an estimated cost of Rs 541 crore.

He said BILT, Bhima cement and RAmagundam fertilizers have revived in the state. The minister said after the elections and with TRS coming to power, he would bring in more process-oriented acts like TS-iPASS. He reiterated that the government was focused on developing the eastern part of Hyderabad, including Uppal and L B Nagar. He also said a lot of IT sector activity would be seen in Uppal. He added that there would be more focus on making public transportation more efficient. He also said more vertical gardens to metro pillars would be developed to control pollution.




On a question about reducing pollution in the city, KT Rama Rao said the government would shift all polluting industries to the outside of ORR and that 3,800 TSRTC bus in the city would be replaced with electrical buses and the government would build 1000 MLD sewerage treatment plants.

To a question on jobs, he said 1.09 lakh jobs had been approved and notification was issued for 87,000 and recruitment was completed for 38,000. About infrastructure development in Musheerabad, he said a flyover at RTC cross and metro would be of help. KT Rama Rao said he did not favour more flyovers than preferring metro. "Efficient public transportation like metro, MMTS, BRTS is the key to solve traffic problems. Flyovers skyways also help," he said.

On a question from Kurmanath who pointed out that the network hospitals association had stopped insurance services under Arogyasri, KTR said it was being sorted out.