Congress promises a ‘golden Telangana’ if voted to power

Stating that it is ready to make history in Telangana, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday, 16 September, appealed to the people to cast their votes for the party in the upcoming Assembly and Parliament elections to "reignite the dream of a golden Telangana".

Claiming that the Congress government in Karnataka delivered on its guarantees within 100 days, it said the Congress party does not make empty promises or 'jumlas' but makes history. “The Congress party is ready to make history in Telangana,” it said.

The CWC alleged that nine years after Telangana was formed, "the promise of Bangaru (golden) Telangana lies shattered, betrayed by governments both in Delhi and Hyderabad".

The highest decision-making body of the party issued an appeal to the people of Telangana at the end of the two-day meeting in Hyderabad and a few hours before the public rally to be held on the city outskirts, where it will unveil six guarantees to the people of Telangana.

“In 2014, the struggle of the people of Telangana bore fruit with the creation of the state of Telangana. The people of Telangana hoped and wished for a Bangaaru Telangana where they set the course of their own future with Nidhilu, Neelu, Niayamakalu - resources, water, employment for all,” reads the appeal.

The CWC ‘proudly’ recalled the key role played by the party in the formation of Telangana state.

“UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resolutely heeded the voices of Telangana's people, consulting every stakeholder and surmounting every political challenge. Yet, nine years after Telangana was formed, the CWC notes with anguish that the promise of Golden Telangana lies shattered, betrayed by governments both in Delhi and Hyderabad. The dream for which people fought for Telangana has remained unfulfilled.”

It alleged that the resources of the new state, meant for its people, have instead been siphoned off by those in power. “Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and his family have established family rule and are deaf to the voices of the people. Instead of the promised golden future, they have dragged the state into the past by ruling like the Nizams.”

It noted that the Congress party has embarked on a mass contact programme against this misrule, starting with the Bharat Jodo Yatra when Rahul Gandhi covered 405 km across eight districts. Tens of thousands of people shared their experiences of the governments of the BJP in Delhi and BRS in Hyderabad, both enriching a chosen few at the cost of the poor, farmers, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities.

The CWC alleged that the Dharani portal is taking away land rights dating back to Indira Gandhi’s era, especially those of Adivasis, minorities, Dalits and OBCs.

“Small entrepreneurs shut shop due to lack of support in a market tilted towards a few large corporates. Irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram have become income sources for BRS-affiliated contractors, draining huge resources but providing little water. The Modi government’s relentless privatisation of public sector companies is reducing opportunities for aspirational and hard-working youth. At the same time, the state government’s privatisation of schools, educational institutes and hospitals is depriving people of affordable education and health. In contrast, the Congress party, throughout India, has always worked for a strong and inclusive economy whose benefits reach all.”

“The CWC shares the pains of our brothers and sisters in Telangana and resolves to continue the struggle to meet the unrealised objectives of the Telangana movement. The Congress party’s track record in Telangana over decades shows its commitment to an inclusive economy -- through measures such as land rights, a strong public sector which accelerated the private sector, MGNREGA, and statehood,” it added.