Amit Shah spoke at Mozamjahi Market on Monday evening after a march of nearly four kilometres, part of the BJP's "Loktantra Bachao" campaign. He aimed at the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Shah's charges
- The Congress is misleading people by claiming 13 crore voters were removed. The names removed are duplicates, people who moved, the dead and illegal entrants, he said.
- Telangana has become an ATM for the Congress, and the "RR tax" reaches Rahul Gandhi through Revanth Reddy.
- The Congress is "on ventilator". If it does not trust EVMs, its Chief Ministers in Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh should resign.
- Rahul Gandhi should prove his "vote chori" charge in Parliament; the Centre is ready to call a special session for the debate.
The Congress reply
TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud said the visit "brought no benefit to Telangana" and that the Centre should address its bifurcation promises instead of holding rallies. He asked about the Kazipet railway coach factory, the Bayyaram steel plant, national status for irrigation projects, and the state's share of central funds and taxes.
Neither Revanth Reddy nor Rahul Gandhi had replied directly to Shah's remarks at the time of writing.
