Telangana CM Revanth seeks Left support to take on Modi, accuses BJP of ‘vote theft’ in Telangana
Hyderabad, Sept 7 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday sought the support of Communist parties in the Congress’ political fight against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, calling for a united opposition to “dethrone” the BJP government at the Centre.
Addressing a memorial meeting for veteran Communist leader Sarampalli Malla Reddy, Revanth Reddy described Modi as the “most dangerous person” for the country and urged the Left parties to join hands with the Congress ahead of future electoral battles.
The Chief Minister’s appeal to the Communist parties comes against the backdrop of the Congress’ efforts to consolidate anti-BJP forces, with Revanth seeking to position the Congress and the Left on a common platform over issues concerning electoral rights and the interests of the poor.
He accused the BJP of attempting to retain power through what he termed new electoral tactics after failing to win people’s trust through democratic means.
Targeting the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Revanth alleged that anti-BJP votes were being systematically deleted under the exercise.
He claimed that SCs, STs and minorities were being particularly targeted in the alleged deletion of votes and accused the BJP of attempting to replicate its strategy in West Bengal in Telangana.
The Chief Minister alleged that there was a conspiracy to delete one crore votes in Telangana, with private agencies allegedly being engaged to conduct surveys and facilitate the deletion of votes.
Revanth also attacked the Election Commission, alleging that the BJP was exploiting the constitutional body to advance its political agenda.
He questioned the silence of the BRS on the issue and asked why the party was not speaking out against what he described as “vote theft” through the SIR exercise.
Seeking the Left parties’ support, the Chief Minister said defeating Modi would also represent a victory for the Communists and urged them to protect the voting rights of the poor.
“We should be united and fight against Modi in the country. Elections and fundamental rights of the poor are different aspects,” he said.
Revanth also sought to underline the ideological common ground between the Congress and the Communist parties, recalling the Left’s historical struggles for minimum wages, land rights and welfare of the poor.
He said the Congress had enacted the Minimum Wages Act in response to the struggle for minimum wages and distributed 24.56 lakh acres of assigned land, including 10 lakh acres currently owned by Adivasis, in line with the demand for “land to the tiller”.
The Chief Minister also cited the Employment Guarantee Act and Food Security Act as examples of Congress governments addressing issues traditionally championed by the Left.
Remembering Sarampalli Malla Reddy, Revanth said the veteran leader had risen from a remote area to the national stage and dedicated his life to the cause of farmers.
He described Malla Reddy’s death as an “irreparable loss” to the farming community and praised his understanding of farmers’ issues and his articulate manner of raising them.
Revanth said his government would work to address farmers’ concerns by taking into consideration the issues raised by Malla Reddy and his writings.
The Chief Minister also said the government would consider developing a memorial for Malla Reddy after consultations with his Cabinet colleagues.
TNT TS
