Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said the upcoming by-election to Munugode Assembly constituency should send a message to the entire country.
Addressing a massive public meeting in Munugode constituency in Nalgonda district to formally launch the poll campaign of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with a scathing attack on the BJP.
Alleging that the Narendra Modi-led Central government wants to scrap the welfare schemes, the TRS chief said as long as he is alive schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, Aasara pensions and free electricity to farmers will continue.
The chief minister told the people that the by-election is not mere a political fight but it is about their very survival.
Speaking a day before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's public meeting in the constituency, CM KCR cautioned people against getting carried away and warned that if BJP wins it would do away with welfare schemes and fix electricity meters to agriculture pumpsets.
"Do you want to vote for those who want to fix meters or those who are opposed to installing meters," asked KCR.
He asked people of Munugode to think why a by-poll was forced upon them and for whose benefit or welfare. He asked where was the need for the by-poll when the elections are only a year away.
"BJP could never save its deposit in this constituency. If they get votes, they will install meters," he said.
Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy's recent resignation as MLA has caused the vacancy. Reddy, who quit the Congress party, will be joining BJP on Sunday in the presence of Amit Shah.
KCR also accused the Centre of willfully delaying on deciding the state's share in Krishna waters. He dared Amit Shah to answer this in Sunday's public meeting.
Slamming the BJP for anti-people measures and divisive politics, the TRS chief said there should be a debate on what is happening.
He welcomed the decision of the Communist Party of India (CPI) not to contest the by-election and extended support to TRS to defeat BJP and hoped that CPI-M would also join hands with them.
KCR also exuded confidence that this unity will continue from Munugode to Delhi. He said efforts were on to bring all progressive forces together to drive out BJP.
KCR told people that they are his power in the fight against the Prime Minister and urged them to strengthen his hands in this fight
He also lashed out at the BJP for its arrogance and attempts to throw democratic values to the wind by toppling opposition governments in various states.
"In the 119-member Telangana Assembly, TRS has 103 members and its friendly party has seven. There are only nine others but they are so arrogant that they talk of creating Eknath Shindes," he said.
He alleged that BJP talked of pulling down the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal.
"Their arrogance will lead to their downfall," he said.
On the threat by BJP leaders to use the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him, he remarked that he was not afraid of 'ED, Bodi'.
"Thieves will be scared of ED. Those who work for people's good and their welfare will never be scared. If ED people come, they will serve me the tea," he said.