Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. (File) Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. (File)

Hours after the dissolution of Telangana state Assembly on Thursday, caretaker Chief Minister and TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao called Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the “biggest buffoon” in the country and dismissed rumours about aligning with a “non-secular” party like BJP for the 2019 elections.

“Everyone knows what Rahul Gandhi is…the biggest buffoon in the country. The whole country has seen how he went and hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament and winked,” Rao said at a press conference, where he also announced candidates for 105 constituencies. He said only two sitting candidates were denied tickets.

When asked about Gandhi’s plans to extensively campaign in Telangana, the TRS chief said, “The more he comes, it will be easier for us (to win elections).” KCR said the Gandhi scion had inherited the legacy of the Congress Delhi empire and appealed to the people of Telangana not to become slaves to Delhi. “The decisions of Telangana should be taken in Telangana,” he said.

Governor has asked KCR to continue as caretaker Telangana CM till the new government is formed. Governor has asked KCR to continue as caretaker Telangana CM till the new government is formed.

Branding Congress as the “biggest enemy” of Telangana, Rao flayed the party for making “baseless, mindless and meaningless” allegations against the TRS government. “Congress is Telangana’s villain number one,” he said.

After meeting PM Modi on August 6, his second in one month, speculations started doing the rounds that TRS and BJP might be planning a post-poll alliance after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Putting to rest such rumours, Rao said, “TRS is a 100 per cent secular party. How can we join hands with BJP?”

READ | Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao dissolves assembly, seeks fresh mandate

The Chief Minister met Governor ESL Narasimhan this afternoon and submitted a resolution adopted in the Cabinet meeting where a decision to dissolve the Assembly and call for early polls was taken. Accepting the resolution, the governor asked KCR and his council of ministers to continue in office as “caretaker government” till elections.

Rao claimed the Election Commission had been consulted and that Telangana would go to polls along with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram. He described Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM as a “friendly party” and said TRS would continue to work with it.

Rao, however, made it clear that the TRS would go it alone in the Assembly elections and asserted the party would win more than 100 of the state’s 119 seats. The 120-member assembly also has a nominated member.

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