Hyderabad, Oct 27 (NationPress) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Monday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of betraying Telangana’s auto drivers by not keeping the commitments made during the 2023 Assembly elections.

Rama Rao took a ride in an autorickshaw to arrive at the BRS headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, while senior party member and former minister, T. Harish Rao, also opted for an autorickshaw in the city to gain insight into the drivers' issues.

The BRS leaders pointed out that since Congress assumed power, a tragic total of 161 autorickshaw drivers have ended their lives. They have called for compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of those who died by suicide.

K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) recalled that during the 2023 Telangana election campaign, Rahul Gandhi personally met and rode with auto drivers, pledging to establish an Auto Drivers’ Welfare Board and provide Rs 12,000 in annual financial aid to each driver. Now, two years later, none of those commitments have been realized.

KTR shared that he met Mashrat Ali, the auto owner who drove Rahul Gandhi during his campaign visit to Hyderabad two years back. Once the proud owner of two auto-rickshaws, Mashrat Ali has been compelled to sell both due to financial distress under Congress governance. Currently, he is a daily-wage auto driver, renting an auto for Rs 400 per day just to survive, as stated by the BRS leader.

“Two years ago, Rahul Gandhi rode in Mashrat Ali’s auto and promised a better life for drivers. Now, that same man has lost both his autos and is struggling to make ends meet. He expressed to me, ‘Sir, I was an owner then; today I am a driver. I used to earn Rs 2,500 a day, now I barely make Rs 1,000. Congress has betrayed us. They promised a welfare board and Rs 1,000 monthly aid, but delivered nothing. They even took away what little we had,’” KTR recounted.

KTR emphasized that this heartbreaking narrative unveils the real face of the Congress government, which has failed every segment of society. “Rahul Gandhi needs to awaken from his deep slumber,” he remarked.

“He promised to deliver within 100 days — it has been two years. Auto drivers are losing their livelihoods, and 161 have already taken their own lives due to the Congress government’s negligence,” KTR added.

He pointed out that while Rahul Gandhi continues to deliver grand speeches about the impoverished, his own party’s government in Telangana is driving working-class citizens into poverty.

“Rahul Gandhi preaches compassion and equality, but his government practices betrayal. When you cannot uphold promises made to struggling auto drivers, you forfeit the moral authority to speak about justice,” KTR concluded.

KTR urged Rahul Gandhi to take moral accountability and ensure the immediate implementation of the Auto Drivers’ Welfare Board and the promised Rs 12,000 annual assistance.