Congress in Telangana has released its complete manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections on November 30. Among scores of other promises, Congress has also assured to bring back the daily ‘Praja Darbar’ (public court) at the Chief Minister’s camp office. This was a practice followed by former Congress CM of united Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who would hold ‘court’ at his camp office in Hyderabad on most days, for a brief period in the morning. Hinting at CM K Chandrashekar Rao’s inaccessibility to the public which has frequently been criticised over the past two terms he has been in power, the Congress manifesto said, “To end the unprecedented dictatorship of the present TRS/BRS government, Congress party is committed to restore democratic governance as per the spirit and wishes of the Telangana people.”
YSR’s darbars were meant for people to visit him with their grievances and submit requests related to various governance issues such as healthcare, education, jobs, farmers’ welfare etc. Both Congress and BJP repeatedly criticised KCR of being inaccessible to the general public as well as public representatives over the past eight years, and have alleged that the CM’s workplace, Pragathi Bhavan, is only accessible to businesspersons and contractors but not common citizens.
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During the COVID pandemic too, the Opposition and several protesters took jibes at KCR for remaining isolated at his farmhouse in Erravelli, Gajwel, instead of working from the Secretariat and being accessible to officials. YouTuber and journalist Teenmar Mallanna, a BRS critics who was formerly with the BJP and has now joined Congress, had even filed writ petition in the Telangana High Court seeking directions to the state government to disclose KCR’s whereabouts and his health condition. Addressing the media while unveiling the manifesto, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the people of Telangana must prepare to bid goodbye to KCR so he can retire and stay at his farmhouse.
“We will hold a "Praja Darbar" (public court) every day at the Chief Minister's camp office. As in the past, the Congress Government is committed to restore “PRAJA DARBAR” daily at the CM camp office. MLA also will be constantly available to the people of their constituency and hold regular ‘Praja Darbars’,” the Congress manifesto released on Friday, November 17, said.