Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday said that India is in a dangerous situation with the politics of hate besieging it. He voiced concern that there is no other discussion or debate in the country other than the religious madness and that people's needs have taken a backseat. In his speech at Telangana formation day celebrations, Rao warned that "this hatred will take the country back by 100 years". He said it will take another 100 years for the country to recover from this "terrible" situation.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, termed attempts to gain political advantage out of communal conflicts a dangerous agenda. He said that when the countries, which attained freedom along with India, are becoming super powers, "we are still fighting over caste and religious differences". He warned that if the destructive elements are allowed to have their say, the unity of the country will be endangered. If the violence continues there will not be any new international investment and even the existing investment may fly out.
This may also endanger survival of millions of expatriate Indians employed in various countries, he said. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief said responsible citizens would not keep quiet if the country gets destroyed by communal clashes and wielding of swords. "People in this country need jobs, employment, projects, water, and electricity. If the country needs to be on the progressive and development path, it needs new agriculture, industrial and economic policies.
For this, we need to find ways for a new socioeconomic and political agenda," said KCR, who has already declared his plans to play a key role in national politics by working for an alternative agenda. KCR lamented that the country lacks a common goal. He described it as a rudderless boat drifting around without an anchor. "Even after 75 years of independence, why we still have poverty? Who is responsible for not utilizing the vast human resource and natural resources that the country has in abundance? Who failed to guide the country? The enlightened people of the country should ponder over this. It is not important who will come to power at the centre every five years.
It is not about one front replacing another at the Centre. What we need is a progressive agenda, which can steer the country of its problems. The country needs a new destination. There should be a meaningful and practical change in the lives of people. There should be a qualitative change in the country," he said. The TRS leader said that while his bounden duty is to protect people in Telangana till his last breath, at the same it is also our duty to fight against the politics of hatred to protect the interests of the country.
"There is no question of compromise at the cost of people's interests. Had we compromised, we wouldn't have achieved Telangana state and we wouldn't have risked our lives to achieve the goal," he added. KCR said the Telangana agenda, which is distributing the fruits of development to all sections of people, should be implemented all over the country. "The Telangana people should be in the forefront to build an amazing India. I pray to God to grant us the wisdom and strength to achieve a qualitative change in the country."