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I have a connect with Telugu people: Modi

BJP leader promises to nurture Telangana, work for its welfare

In stark contrast to other mainstream political parties claiming credit for creation of Telangana, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi stormed the region on Tuesday with a declaration that he had come to take responsibility of the people of Telangana and the development of the new state.

“Nobody can claim credit for the creation of Telangana. If anybody is trying to do so, they are only lying. The long cherished dream was achieved only because of the sacrifices made by 1,100 youth who laid down their lives for the separate statehood cause,” Modi said, addressing a huge and enthusiastic public meeting, his first in Andhra Pradesh as the saffron party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Stating that Congress had only changed the lines of the state’s boundary, he assured the people of Telangana that he would change the lines concerning their future.

“The ongoing general elections is a turning point for the country, but it is even more important for Telangana since the future of the new state would depend on who governs in New Delhi,” Modi said, adding that if the people of Telangana delivered ‘lotus’ (BJP’s symbol) in New Delhi, he would be in a position “to lay a pipeline from there to Telangana to channel assistance for the development of the new state.”

Modi, who repeatedly cautioned the people against trusting the “mother-son” duo (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi), said the way Congress handled the bifurcation issue was akin to the delivery of a child where the mother was left dead. “Telangana is the child delivered, but the mother, which is the Telangana spirit and the Telugu spirit and culture, has been killed in the process,” he said, adding that come what may, the BJP would not allow the destruction of the Telugu spirit, be it in Telangana or Seemandhra.

“The birth of the new state is in itself not the end of the objective. It has to be raised with all the love and care that a new-born child without mother requires,” the BJP leader said.

Claiming that he had a connect with the Telugu people by virtue of about 300,000 Telugus living in Surat in Gujarat, Modi said he has been taking care of their welfare and was quite acquainted with the needs of the Telugu people.

Digging deep into the Congress history to prove his point that the party was ‘destructive and insensitive’ to the people, he recalled the infamous incident at the Hyderabad airport where a young Rajiv Gandhi, then Congress general secretary, had slapped the then chief minister T Anjaiah in full public view. “Anjaiah, who hailed from the Backward Class, was slapped by Rahul Baba’s father. This shows the Congress arrogance and intolerance towards other, but with this single incident, they lost Andhra,” he said.

Modi also cited the example of how shabbily the Congress treated the death of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao. “Narasimha Rao became the prime minister despite all odds, and his good work is recognised by the nation. But when he died, the Congress did not have the decency to give a decent funeral, nor does it recognise his death or birth anniversary. Narasimha Rao’s legacy has been completely obliterated by the Gandhi family,” he said.

Strangely, Modi did not make any mention of its alliance partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP) during his 30-minute speech, except for asking the people to believe in the BJP and the alliance. “Nothing can stop the BJP from coming to power in New Delhi,” he said.

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