Regional parties in Telugu states are 'match fixing', only Congress can fight BJP: Jairam Ramesh

Only Congress can fight with BJP as all the regional parties in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are ”match fixing” parties, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the former Union minister said with the ongoing foot march ”the countdown has started” for Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Describing both the Modi and Rao governments in the Centre and state respectively as ”double engine”, Ramesh said the train is going on the ”wrong track” and one of the aims of Bharat Jodo Yatra is to bring it back on the right track.

”All the regional parties, YSRCP, TDP, and TRS, all these parties are match fixing parties. They have good understanding with BJP. All (those parties) are scared of ED, Income Tax and CBI. So, if one has to fight, it is only Congress that can fight. No regional party can fight,” he said, adding that the AIMIM is also a ”match fixing party”.

He said the response for the yatra in Telangana is overwhelming and it would act as a booster for the state Congress and give a new direction to the party.

The Congress leader said Rahul Gandhi has met a large number of groups including Dalits, adivasis, farmers, students, public sector employees and trade union leaders and received hundreds of representations which will be taken up for further action.

Replying to a query on the Munugode bypoll, he said the yatra has nothing do with the polls.

In an indirect reference to turncoats during the bypoll, Ramesh alleged that the BJP ran ”Operation Lotus” while the TRS did ”Operation Cactus”.