Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 3 : BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao strongly criticised the Congress leadership on Wednesday, asserting that Rahul Gandhi has become an albatross around the neck of India's Opposition.
Speaking at the IGNITION Summit organised by the Shiv Nadar Foundation in Chennai, KTR said Rahul Gandhi lacks vision for India's future and that his leadership has weakened the Congress to the point where it can no longer function as a national Opposition party, according to the official statement.
KTR, Working President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, stated that the Congress party has completely failed as a national Opposition. He said the country's largest Opposition party has been unable to present any credible agenda or alternative model to counter the BJP, and that Rahul Gandhi and his leadership have now become Prime Minister Modi's biggest strength. KTR remarked that after the eras of Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the Congress has achieved little of national significance, while Rahul Gandhi lacks any long-term vision for India's future.
He pointed out that Rahul has never articulated a clear position on the economy, employment generation, innovation, or industrial growth, key pillars of national development, making it evident that he has no meaningful vision for the country.
KTR said that if the current situation continues, the Congress leadership will remain incapable of challenging the BJP, and that only regional parties can effectively counter the ruling party.
He criticised the Congress for behaving like a "Fringe party" in states like Bihar, insisting on contesting numerous seats and thereby handing political advantage to the BJP. He recalled that KCR earlier attempted to build a national platform of regional parties to present an alternative model for the country, but unfortunately, the effort did not progress.
He added that Rahul Gandhi's leadership has become an albatross around the neck of the Opposition, which is why the Congress continues to lose one state after another. KTR cited Rahul's comments during the Telangana election campaign, claiming "₹1 lakh crore corruption" in the Kaleshwaram project despite the project not costing ₹1 lakh crore, as a clear example of his ignorance.
KTR asserted that the BJP has no future in the southern states and expressed confidence that people in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu will decisively reject the party in the upcoming elections. He accused the BJP of betraying the nation by failing to fulfil its promises, and said that anyone questioning the government is immediately branded "anti-national" and harassed.
While the BJP has aggressively spread divisive politics into every household over the past ten years, KTR admitted that the Opposition has unfortunately failed to effectively expose or counter these divisive tactics.
Turning to Telangana, KTR expressed deep concern over the two years of misgovernance under the Congress regime. He noted that Telangana, which consistently topped national charts in economic growth and welfare for a decade, has now begun to fall drastically behind. Quoting Thomas Paine "the first duty of patriots is to protect people from their government", KTR said this sentiment has become painfully relevant in Telangana on Wednesday.
He stated that the Congress government is steeped in corruption, incompetence, and administrative chaos, and the people now need protection from its excesses.
KTR underscored that Telangana's remarkable decade of progress was the result of deep commitment and focused governance, noting that the state rose to the top nationally in per capita income and GSDP growth, climbed from 12th place to become India's largest paddy producer surpassing Punjab, construt
the world's largest lift irrigation project, and transformed Hyderabad into a global IT powerhouse rivaling Bengaluru. He criticised the Congress government's unrealistic guarantees and more than 420 impractical promises, arguing that such reckless commitments have severely strained Telangana's financial stability. KTR added that, following the electoral setback, the BRS is sincerely reviewing its strategies while remaining closely connected with the people and continuing to support them.
Addressing allegations of dynasty politics, KTR said that family background may help enter politics but cannot guarantee longevity, as legitimacy comes only through people's approval every five years. He criticised the BJP's hypocrisy for attacking "family parties" while simultaneously forming opportunistic alliances with parties like Shiv Sena, TDP, and JD(U) whenever politically convenient.
Furthermore, KTR emphasised the need to embrace cutting-edge technologies such as AI, FinTech, HealthTech, and Pharma-Tech. He highlighted Telangana's leadership in innovation during the BRS government, including the creation of T-Works, India's largest prototyping centre. He noted that AI's impact on jobs will be temporary and that newer and better opportunities will emerge across the technology spectrum.
However, he stressed the urgent need to modernise engineering curriculum and training to match industry requirements. KTR remarked that forty years ago India and China were socio-economically similar, but China prioritised economic development while India prioritised politics, leading to today's wide gap. He said slogans like "Make in India" or "Double Engine Government" are inadequate unless complemented by genuine commitment and action from both central and state governments.