BJP, Congress scared of BRS because of its pro-farmer credentials: KCR

SOLAPUR: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Tuesday asserted that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is a pro-farmer party and rubbished the talk of the political rivals to brand it as subservient to some parties.

“We are not the 'A' team for the Congress nor the 'B' team for the BJP; we are the farmers' team,” thundered KCR while addressing a mammoth public meeting in Sarkoli, Maharashtra, as part of his two-day visit to the State.

The BRS Chief said that the national parties were feeling jittery with the emergence of the BRS on to the national scene. "The Congress says we are the B team of the BJP and the BJP says we are the 'A' team of the Congress. We do not play second fiddle to any political party. We are a team dedicated to farmers, Dalits, backward sections and the poor. Why are the so-called national parties panicking to stand up to the BRS even though it’s just four months since we entered Maharashtra?," he wondered.

"India is celebrating 75 years of independence but look at other countries like South Korea and China and how developed they are compared to our country. Election after election, different parties including the Congress and the Shiv Sena come and go but no one does anything that supports farmers. Maharashtra is a rich state with abundant resources but we need good leaders to help the state prosper," said KCR.

Claiming that the BRS was the only party that gave the clarion call, ‘abki baar kisaan sarkar’, he said that this was the reason why other parties were scared of his party. “No other party has ever worked in support of farmers which is why other parties could say whatever they want to but the BRS is on the rise because it's a party for ‘Bharat transformation’. And with farmers on our side, we don't have to be anyone's A or B team,” he said.

KCR also tried to corner the ruling dispensation of Maharashtra by harping on the acute water scarcity troubling many parts of the state. "Despite all the resources we have in Maharashtra, I heard that many districts and villages in Maharashtra face water scarcity and no drinking water facilities at many households. I'm curious to know why, instead of focusing on measures to improve drinking water and electricity, local leaders are talking nonsense about the BRS. When the BRS can provide adequate resources to Telangana's farmers and people, why can't other states do the same? Because the BRS is a farmer-led organisation, it is the voice of farmers not only in Maharashtra but throughout the country,” he said.

The BRS chief, in his inimitable style, referred to the recent Karnataka Assembly election outcome and drove home the point that it was important that people emerged as the winners. "Recently, the BJP lost elections in Karnataka and the Congress won. But, I don't think anything will change because people emerging victorious is more important than parties winning elections. And the moment the leaders begin to capture the hearts and minds of the people, India will be transformed and the BRS will ultimately bring that transformation to this country," KCR said.

"We implemented the Dharani platform to make farming easier but why can't it be done in Maharashtra and other states across the country? If the Centre is serious about Digital India, implement the Dharani portal and digitise land records in Maharashtra," KCR said, referring to the Congress and BJP, which claimed to scrap the Dharani platform if they are voted to power in Telangana.

The Telangana Chief Minister said, “I welcome you all to come and see the services we are providing to farmers in Telangana. With the Dharani portal, Telangana farmers can register their agricultural lands/farms in only a few minutes and receive a beautiful passbook, which their NRI son can view from overseas. Once their land is registered in the Dharani portal, even the Chief Minister cannot change anything until the farmer changes his biometric data. Instead of labelling us as a B or A team, they(BJP and Congress) should concentrate on the growth of Maharashtra."

KCR offers prayers at Pandharpur temple to begin Day-2 in Maharashtra

Earlier in the day, KCR offered prayers at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur of Solapur on the second day of his two-day visit to Maharashtra.

The Telangana Chief Minister performed special pujas at the temple, accompanied by BRS MPs, MLAs, MLCs and public representatives.

An elderly devotee gifted an idol of Vithaleshwar and Rukmini Devi to KCR while he was walking around the temple premises for divine darshan. KCR humbly accepted the statue from the old man.