The Congress in Telangana has issued a full-page advertisement in newspapers referring to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao as a ‘dora’ (a feudal dominant caste landlord) and a hypocrite. Published on Monday, November 27, three days ahead of the Assembly elections, the ad lists 14 statements made by CM KCR on which he allegedly changed his stand over the years, from appointing a Dalit CM to three-acre land distribution for Dalits and the delay in implementation of 12% reservation for Muslims.
In a comic strip layout, each grid of the ad shows a cartoon version of KCR making certain promises to the public in the past – shown as ‘dora then’ – and his alleged change in stand, with the words of ‘dora now’. “I will make a Dalit the CM,” the past version of KCR says in the first grid, while the current version says, “They cannot run the state.” However, KCR hasn’t made such a statement in public. While he reneged on the promise, in 2021 he admitted that he couldn't fulfil his promise of making a Dalit person the Chief Minister for “several reasons.” The Congress seems to be referring to a recent interview with India Today magazine, in which KCR said that in the first BRS (then TRS) government, there were only 63 MLAs from his party and people had advised him that it wasn’t possible for any of them other than himself to run the new state.
Read: KCR's Promises for Dalits and the Faulty Implementation: TNM Poll Watch
Another grid alleges that KCR once promised to provide one job to every household and later backtracked on this statement. Some of the other issues raised in the ad are paddy procurement, podu land cultivation rights for tribal people, the double-bedroom housing scheme, strengthening of public schools, tenant farmers’ welfare, delay in issuing government job notifications, women’s safety, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,016, and the delay in regularising contract-based jobs.
Read: TNM Poll Watch: A look back at the Podu land controversy in Telangana
Also read: Telangana polls: Will the 2BHK housing scheme work in favour or against KCR?
In its 2014 manifesto, the BRS promised all landless Dalit families dependent on farming three acres of arable land. In its 2018 manifesto, the party promised a monthly allowance to educated unemployed youth. Both of these promises remain largely unfulfilled. The delay in government job selections due to various issues, including the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak during Group 1 recruitment exams, has also triggered anger among government job aspirants.
Read: TNM Poll Watch: KCR's Promise to hike Muslim reservation never became a reality
The promise of a 12% quota for Muslims, first made by KCR in 2014, also remains unfulfilled. While the BRS government passed a legislation in this regard in 2017, the Union government has refused to give its consent. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made its stand on the matter clear on many occasions, proclaiming that it would completely scrap even the existing 4% reservation for minorities in Telangana if voted to power in the state.
The ad ends by saying that the only truth KCR speaks is that Telangana’s statehood was made possible due to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s efforts.
Read: The unemployment problem in Telangana: What jobs data tells us
With Telangana, Mizoram, MP, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan on the ballot, TNM and Newslaundry have teamed up to bring you the most comprehensive reporting and analysis. Click here to power our election coverage.