Known for its intense political rivalry, Telangana has witnessed a rise in personal attacks from politicians as the crucial Lok Sabha elections draw near. Recently, Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) engaged in bitter war of words on social media.
The exchange of personal insults started when BRS Working President KT Rama Rao criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for taking credit for jobs created by BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao.
In response, the Congress party released a poster accusing KCR, KTR, Harish Rao, Kavitha and Santhosh Rao of being the 'cheap car gang' referencing a criminal gang involved in car thefts. "What is the story of this Kalvakuntla gang that robbed the car by uttering cheap words? Whatever they have done, if they perform good deeds, they will claim credit for them. Their bad deeds will stain the blood of all the people! If you engage in good deeds, people will appreciate your efforts. Don't let them go to waste. Avoid using cheap words and pretenses; strive to be a good opposition. Otherwise, that status will also be lost. Be safe!"
To this, the BRS party fired back with morphed images of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, labeling them the 'Bar Dancer Party' .The party's spokesperson also warned that more damaging material could be released if the personal attacks continued.
"We said to stop these petty morphings on KCR, who fought with his life for Telangana! We also warned that if you don't stop, we can morph more pictures of your Sonia and Rahul. However, you won't hear that the dog's tail is crooked... Experience it! We don't need to tell you who Bapati is; he used to do bar dances in Italy. The whole world knows that he was trapped in a drunken stupor. If he continues, we will send the full video. They can't chew and swallow!"
Meanwhile, CM Reddy declared that Congress will win 14 out 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. He accused the BRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to overthrow his government and that he will teach them a “befitting lesson” if they continue with their plans to topple his government.
"The Congress party works for the poorest of the poor and that is the agenda. We are aiming to get 14 Lok Sabha seats. Our message is loud and clear. Vote for the Congress party based on our performance in the past few months. There is transparency in the governance," he said on March 5.