Only BJP can free Telangana of ‘Razakars’: Amit Shah

HYDERABAD: BJP national president Amit Shah on Tuesday compared Asaduddin Owaisi and his party AIMIM to ‘Razakars’, a private militia formed before Independence to resist Hyderabad’s ‘annexation’ into India and support the Nizam. Shah also said Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao could not dream of becoming prime minister when his party was seriously contesting just 16 Lok Sabha seats in this election.

Addressing a public meeting at Shamshabad on Tuesday, the last day of campaigning for the first phase of elections, Shah said: “KCR cannot become PM with 16 seats and with the support of some other smaller parties. Besides, the people of the country have already decided to give Modi a second term. For Telangana, BJP is the only alternative to the TRS as only we can fight MIM and Owaisis and free the state of ‘Razakars’.”

The Shamshabad public meeting was for BJP candidate from Chevella B Janardhan Reddy. The BJP national chief attacked the TRS and Congress and made it clear ahead of polling that the saffron party does not have any secret pact with the pink party.

“Both the Congress and TRS believe in family rule and dynasty politics. There is no second opinion and view among the people as to who will become CM after KCR because he has been promoting his family including son, daughter and nephew,” Shah said.

Referring to the air strikes on Pakistan, the BJP chief said the Modi government gave a befitting reply to Pakistan post-Pulwama through the strikes. “Will KCR dare to give such a befitting answer to Pakistan?” he asked.

Like Modi and other BJP leaders, Shah criticised TRS for its friendship with AIMIM. “The Telagnana government is not celebrating Sept 17 as Telangana Liberation Day because of fear of the Owaisis,” he said. Shah also castigated KCR for not forming his cabinet for more than two and half months after being sworn in.

On KCR’s remarks at a public meeting that the BJP government has not given any funds for Telangana in the last five years, Shah said: “Modi sarkar had given Telangana Rs 2.45 lakh crore, including Rs 16,000 crore for Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, sanctioned new railway lines, national highways, AIIMS, smart cities, tribal university, central university, horticulture university, agriculture university and veterinary university. We sanctioned for the state centres for defence research, cotton research and biodiversity research despite there being a non-BJP government in Telangana. In contrast, the previous UPA government during a 5-year period had given just Rs 16,500 crore,” Shah said.

Declaring there is a Modi wave in the country right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Odisha to Dwaraka, the BJP chief said all the people want is for Modi to come back. “People think Modi means safety and security for the country, development, transparency and a non-corrupt government,” he said.

Attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi for doubting the air strikes carried out by the Indian security forces, the BJP president said Rahul should tell the country whether he was in concurrence with the National Conference which has demanded a separate PM for Kashmir.