Hours after storming into power for a second term in Telangana, incumbent Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday, 12 December, said that a new national party as a consortium of regional parties may emerge very soon.
Stating that the country needed a 'BJP-mukt (free) and Congress-mukt (free) India', KCR declared that he would play a crucial role in national politics.
Following the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s (TRS) victory, KCR addressed the media and said that the new political formation would emerge as an alternative for both the BJP and the Congress with a national agenda to fulfil the aspirations of the people of the country.
Switching back and forth between English, Telugu and Hindi, KCR expressed his intention to take on national politics.
“We have the responsibility to make our presence felt in national politics. The intellect of Telangana must be used for the good of India. We are going to play a very crucial role in national politics. We are going to show and give a new definition to the national political situation. There is confusion at the national political level and this needs to change. Unless it changes, the country will not grow.”K Chandrasekhar Rao, incumbent Chief Minister of Telangana
“A non-Congress and non-BJP government must be instituted. Today, I am proud to say that Telangana stands as a non-Congress, non-BJP state,” he added. He added that it was crucial to introduce a new agricultural model to uplift farmers.
“The country definitely needs a new economic model, a new agricultural model. We are a very rich agricultural country and should be feeding the whole world but we are lagging behind. Compared to Israel and China, where do we stand? We should feel ashamed.”KCR
Addressing the unemployment issue which has long been plaguing the state, he said, “It is a problem that the entire nation faces, not just Telangana alone. We will take a look at the available vacancies and expeditiously fill those spots, starting right away.”
"We will unleash the whole thing after 10 days in New Delhi," said KCR, who claimed that he already had detailed discussions with many economists and worked a great deal on it.
The TRS leader said he and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi would visit various parts of the country to interact with a cross-section of people and bring them on a common platform.
“Asaduddin Owaisi is a good intellectual who participates in each and every debate in Parliament. I appreciate him because he is not a fundamentalist. He is a secular political leader.”K Chandrasekhar Rao
KCR said he is confident that he would bring about a qualitative change in Indian politics. "You will see a beginning very shortly," he said.
Stressing the need for increasing reservations for various sections of people, KCR said that the Supreme Court crossed its limits by fixing 50 per cent upper limit of reservation for all sections. He said Parliament should pass a legislation to overcome this verdict.
Several schemes introduced by the TRS in their last term have been met with popularity. KCR added that these programs would continue and that the state government would form a ‘health profile’ of each individual to ensure affordable and accessible healthcare.
“Every person will undergo a checkup wherein their blood pressure, sugar levels and other issues would be noted and assessed. We will have frequent checkups which will have ENT doctors and dentists checking individuals. A high-grade pathology team will also be brought in to tend to the healthcare needs of the people.”
(The article is published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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