"Our boss is Telangana people": KCR attacks BJP, Congress on high command culture

Mancherial (Telangana) [India], November 7 (ANI): In an apparent swipe at the alleged high command culture of BJP and Congress, Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao said that his party does not have a boss in Delhi and the only boss, the party has, are the people of Telangana.
"The boss of BRS is not sitting in Delhi. Our boss is Telangana people. We work according to the Telangana people's wishes, needs and aspirations," CM KCR said while addressing an election rally at Chennur here on Tuesday.
Telangana will go to assembly elections on November 30 and counting of votes, along with those of four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3.
KCR alleged that the state leaders of Congress are just "puppets" as the party's decisions for the state are taken by the central leadership without consultation
"We are seeing the ruckus for the Congress tickets. They (Congress leaders of the state) don't have any power in their hands. They are just like puppets," KCR said.
KCR accused the Congress government at the Centre of merging the Telangana region with the Andhra region to form the Andhra Pradesh state against the wishes of the people in Telangana.
"During the 'idli sambar go back' movement, they shot and killed 7 students. Later, the Congress party merged Telangana (with Andhra) against the people's wishes," KCR said.
"You should compare what the Congress did and what BRS did. You should weigh who has concern for the people," he added.
The "Idli Sambar go back" movement was a students' agitation against non-Mulkis (locals) in Telangana in 1952.
The agitation arose after many jobs were allegedly taken by people from coastal Andhra. The popular slogans were "Non-Mulki go back" and "Idli Sambar go back".
During the protests, seven students were killed in police firing.
In the previous Assembly election in the state in 2018, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won 88 of the 119 seats, hogging 47.4 per cent of the total vote share. The Congress came in a distant second with just 19 seats. (ANI)