KTR pooh-poohs Lagadapati’s surveys

​Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K T Rama Rao on Wednesday said that the Mahakutami leaders could not convince and hence, they were trying to confuse the voters in Telangana. In an informal chat with media, K T Rama Rao said that people of Telangana would speak and speak very emphatically in the upcoming elections. He predicted that the party was going to win more than 100 seats. When asked about the impact of Lagadapati Rajgopal’s survey, Rao said that when the pepper spray did not stop Telangana, how can there be any impact of survey on voters. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s entry into election campaign has helped TRS, said Rao.

Rao said that the Federal Front proposed by TRS would become a kingmaker and added that it would be without Congress and BJP. He said that there was no situation in the country which guarantees that BJP getting 272 seats on its own and there were no parties left in NDA now. The BJP at the most would get 150 to 170 seats, said Rao. He justified support given by TRS to the NDA government. Rao said that Goods and Services Tax had worked as it increased tax reserves. However, he said that demonetisation had miserably failed. “During the no-trust motion, TRS abstained because we knew that the parties which brought the motion lacked numbers.

We supported Vice-President because he was a Telugu and in election of deputy chairperson JDU leader Nitish Kumar called and sought support. The Congress is so arrogant that it did not call for the support,” said Rao. He also said that the reason TRS targets Congress more than the BJP was because BJP was not existent in the State and the fight was with Congress. However, he said that both parties had done irreparable damage to the country. Rama Rao said that the chief ministerial candidates in Congress party were going to lose. He said TRS was going to win in Kodangal, Nagarjunsagar, Madhira, Huzurnagar and others. All the CM candidates of Congress are locked up in their constituencies.

Rao predicted that Chandrababu Naidu would become inconsequential after the 2019 elections. “He (Naidu) might even lose his State. He will become inconsequential and irrelevant after 2019 elections,” said Rao. When asked whether Chandrababu Naidu would have a say in the government, Rao said who knows he might be made Chief Minister. Naidu has purchased the Congress leaders with Rs 500 crore, he alleged. He asked the TDP chief to prove his sincerity by withdrawing the 30 letters written against Telangana projects. The TRS leader said that though MIM was the friendly party of TRS, the party does not endorse to each and every word the Owaisi brothers say. “It is not compulsory to like everything they say,” said Rao.

Lashing out at Rahul Gandhi, Rao said, “What is the qualification of this leader except for having Gandhi as his surname, to become Prime Minister? At least I have participated in Telangana agitation. What has Rahul Gandhi done? He is under illusion,” said Rao. He said that wherever Rahul Gandhi has campaigned, his party has lost and same thing would happen in Telangana. When asked about corruption in Rafale deal, Rao said that he does not know anything as he has been hearing about this from Rahul Gandhi’s mouth and newspapers. He said that Rahul Gandhi’s income rose to 440 per cent.