Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and former minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) cautioned on Saturday that governments risk triggering movements against them if they fail to address the aspirations of young people.
Speaking at a press conference, KTR highlighted the power of Gen-Z, recalling how students of a central university in Telangana successfully resisted the government’s attempt to sell 400 acres of forest land—an action later struck down by the Supreme Court.
Encouraging youth to step into politics, he said, “When politics determines your future, why can’t you determine politics?”
KTR stressed that while Indian youth dream of competing with the world’s best, those in power remain preoccupied with comparisons to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Drawing on economic history, he noted that in 1985 India and China had nearly equal per capita incomes—USD 500 and USD 300, respectively. Today, China has surged ahead with a USD 20 trillion economy and per capita income of USD 13,000, while India lags behind at USD 4 trillion and USD 2,700.
“Instead of being content with comparisons to underdeveloped neighbours, we must ask why China has overtaken us,” he said, also pointing to Japan’s post-war transformation into the world’s third-largest economy as a model of innovation-driven growth.
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, KTR accused him of distracting citizens with divisive issues such as religion, food, and clothing while sidelining innovation and development. “Modi has succeeded in diverting public attention with perception and media management,” he alleged.
Showcasing Telangana’s achievements in just a decade—including the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, Amazon’s largest campus, and T-Hub, the world’s biggest innovation hub—KTR questioned why similar progress could not be achieved nationwide.
He also urged India’s 380 million Gen-Z citizens to channel their energy into collaboration and innovation. “We don’t just need venture capital, we need adventure capital,” he remarked.
Concluding, KTR said Telangana is experiencing “Recall, Regret, and Revolt”—with people recalling the state’s progress under BRS, regretting not re-electing it, and preparing to revolt against what he termed an inefficient Congress government.