The verbal attacks during the ongoing election campaign in Telangana hit a new low Sunday when Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu "a mental".
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief was speaking at a public meeting at Pargi in Vikarabad district ahead of the December 7 state Assembly polls.
"I say Chandrababu is a mental. Why? Because he had once said goats should be banned in order to save the forests (by preventing grazing). When was the goat born (the species came into existence) and when was he born? Who are you to ban the goat, a creation of nature?" Rao asked.
"He (Naidu) claims that he was instrumental in putting Hyderabad on the world map. What should we do with this man," he said, hitting out at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo.
"If he is that capable, why did he fail in building Amaravati (the upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh)? Except graphic representations, no real building has come up there.
"This kind of cheats are coming to you, seeking votes. If we are not careful, we will be cheated," Rao said in a scathing attack on the People's Front alliance of the Congress, TDP, Telangana Jana Samithi and CPI.
He claimed that the power situation in Telangana had improved drastically since 2014, but it would worsen again if his party lost in the upcoming polls.
The TRS was going to form the government by winning 103 to 106 of the 119 seats in the state, Rao claimed, citing a survey.
At a public meeting at Devarkadra, Rao alleged that Naidu had filed 35 court cases and "written 40 letters", opposing the irrigating projects in Telangana, and now, he was seeking votes in the state.
Hitting out at the Congress, the TRS chief said, "Don't you see the development here? Are you giving a Rs 1,000 pension to people in the states where your party is in power (as in Telangana)?"
Speaking at Narayanpet, the chief minister said democracy in the country had not reached "enough maturity levels" and that people should not vote carelessly.
"Many parties will come and say many things. Please listen to them and think once again before casting the vote, which is going to change our fate," he said.
Rao also addressed public meetings at Tandur, Shadnagar and Ibrahimpatnam Sunday.
The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.
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