hyderabad
Former president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) and former Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) formally on Monday at a public meeting addressed by Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Jangaon.
Welcoming Mr. Lakshmaiah into the BRS, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said Mr. Lakshmaiah severed his 45-year association with the Congress as he was no longer able to suffer the insults meted out to him by the party any longer, and had now decided to work for the development of Telangana by joining the BRS. At the Bhongir public meeting later, Mr. Rao informed the crowd that Mr. Lakshmaiah’s experience would be helpful in developing the Hyderabad-Bhongir-Jangaon corridor further.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Lakshmaiah said he was insulted badly and discriminated in the Congress, particularly by its present leadership in the State, forcing him to sever his four-decade-long association with the Congress. He praised the BRS government for ensuring all-round development of Jangaon.
He stated that Mr. Rao was working for the all-round development of the State for the last 10 years, and said he needed to be re-elected as Chief Minister for a third time so as to carry on the good work.
Stating that several political parties were talking about a caste census now after keeping quiet all these years, Mr. Lakshmaiah said the Chandrasekhar Rao Government had done it in August 2014 itself with the help of an integrated household survey (‘Samagra Kutumba Survey’). The government had been planning welfare and development schemes with the help of data collected through the survey, he said.
Mr. Lakshmaiah requested the Chief Minister to promote food processing industries in the Jangaon area as about 40,000 to 45,000 farmers were engaged in dairy farming, producing nearly 80,000 litres of milk every day.
The area was also a leading paddy producer in combined Warangal district and known for its seetaphal (custard apple) production. Besides, oil palm cultivation was also rising in the area, he noted, and sought incentives and opportunities for farmers in the region.
