Amidst much fanfare, Telangana Joint Action Committee’s (TJAC) former chairman, M Kodandaram, formally launched his party Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) on Sunday at Saroornagar in Hyderabad.
The TJS activists mobilised a large crowd, that included farmers, students and women from across the state, to the venue at the Saroornagar stadium.
The party’s event began with honouring the martyrs of Telangana, who had killed themselves during the struggle for a separate state.
At the event, TJS leaders lashed out at TRS supremo and state Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. They even attacked the latter’s family members, who are part of his cabinet.
Infuriated with the statement of KCR who recently dubbed the TJS ‘paan dabba party’, the leaders said that the TRS would soon see its downfall.
Listing the wrongdoings committed by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, and accusing it for indulging in corruption, the TJS leaders came down heavily on the Chief Minister.
To buttress their claim that the TRS had committed several atrocities during its four-year tenure, the party had invited the Dalit victims of Nerella, victims of Mallanna Sagar, farmers who were jailed for protest and families of Telangana martyrs who remained neglected.
Addressing the gathering, TJS president Professor Kodandram said that the state had not become ‘Bangaru Telangana’ as they had dreamt.
Kodandram who is usually known to maintain his calm despite provoking statements from his rivals on Sunday equated KCR’s family to ‘tapeworms’.
He said, “These people are like tapeworms who are eating away the food of Telangana.”
He also slammed the Chief Minister for not being accessible to the public. “The Chief Minister is either in Pragathi Bhavan or at his Farm House,” Kodandram said.
Continuing his tirade against KCR, he slammed him for not letting the people protest democratically.
Stating that the people who had fought for the cause of separate Telangana were ill-treated by the government, Kodandram said, “People who were beaten by the police during the struggle are termed rowdy sheeters while people who did nothing are ruling the state.”
Further Kodandram challenged the government for a debate on the financial irregularities committed by the government. “We are ready for any debate and we are ready for any calculations.”
Kodandram thundered, “Telangana was not achieved for your dictatorial regime,” referring to KCR.
Briefing the crowd on the agenda of the TJS, he said that TJS will work with everyone; all religions, castes and communities.
Kodandram also cautioned government officials, especially the police to work in according to the law and not act according to the whims of the ruling party. “Tomorrow when we come into power we will initiate an inquiry. So please act according to the law.”
He also said that the ruling party had been giving government advertisements selectively to newspapers which are pro-government while denying ads to newspapers which were critical of the government.