Denying speculation that he was joining the Congress party, Balladeer Gaddar said that he would continue to remain an independent revolutionary singer. Gaddar said that though Rahul Gandhi had asked him to join his party, he said that he wished to remain independent.
Gaddar’s visit to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s residence had triggered rumours that the politician was going to join the Congress. However, dismissing all rumours, Gaddar clarified that he, along with his wife and son at Delhi, met Rahul Gandhi only to detail about his grassroot campaign to speak about the Indian Constitution.
Addressing the media on Friday, Gaddar alleged that the Constitution has been undermined by the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre. He alleged that all the independent institutions like Election Commission and Supreme Court have been diminished, for which he intends to visit every village and spread awareness and information on the Indian Constitution.
Besides attacking the BJP at the Centre, Gaddar also attacked the rule of TRS in Telangana. He said that KCR has failed all promises he had made.
“He said that he’ll give land to Dalits, he didn’t; promised to build houses for poor, but didn’t; he promised employment in each household, but didn’t. He also made a political promise of making a Dalit the Chief Minister, but didn’t live up to it,” he said.
Gaddar further alleged that a ‘new feudalism’ has risen in Telangana. “There is no freedom of speech in Telangana.”
He said that though he gave a representation to the Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, there was no progress.
Gaddar said that in his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president assured that if he comes to power, an investigation will be launched into the decade-old attack on Gaddar. Gaddar was shot at by five unknown assailants in the year 1997 at his Venkatapuram residence in Secunderabad, Telangana.
Though surgeons removed four bullets from his body, a fifth bullet is still lodged in his spine. Fearing complications, the surgeons decided against removing it, for which Gaddar regularly visits a hospital for check-ups.