HYDERABAD: A day after Chief Minister’s K Chandrasekhar Rao’s vitriolic attack on the Congress, terming the party’s leaders as sannasulu and slaves, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on Saturday responded to the allegations with equal tone and tenor. The TRS too pitted its leaders to counter attack the TPCC.
Led by its chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, the TPCC accused Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his family of ‘robbing’ the wealth of Telangana State through dubious means.
Uttam Kumar, along with opposition leaders in Assembly, Council K Jana Reddy, Mohd Shabbir Ali, former TPCC chief P Laxmaiah and others, condemned the remarks made by Rao. “Rao has stooped to the lowest level in targeting the opposition parties and its leaders to justify his wrong actions,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said adding that they too will be forced to retort in the same tone.
“It is the CM and his family which is looting public money,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said and added that they don’t have any objection if Rao fulfill his vows with his personal money.
“The donation of gold ornaments worth more than `5 crore to various temples from the Common Good Fund was totally illegal,” Uttam Kumar said questioning if it is appropriate for the CM to donate crores of rupees from the public exchequer while keeping fee reimbursement dues pending. Uttam said that nearly `60,000 crore worth loans were procured in the name of irrigation projects.
“TRS government’s prime activity so far remained on taking loans and seeking commissions from contractors,” the TPCC chief alleged.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said not a single unit of power was generated by the TRS government and all the projects which are now being commissioned were started during the Congress regime.Referring to criticism that the Congress is encouraging people to approach courts and halt construction of irrigation projects, Uttam Kumar said they are only responding to the pleas by poor SCs and STs whose lands are being taken away by the state government in the name of different projects.
“Instead of implementing Land Acquisition Act, 2013, the government is paying meagre amounts towards compensation completely ignoring the rehabilitation and resettlement of affected farmers and other sections,” he alleged. Meanwhile, Gadwal MLA DK Aruna too came down heavily on Rao’s comments on her party.
“The CM should keep his mouth under control and stop making baseless allegations against Congress leaders. If Congress had not granted Telangana, Rao would not have become the CM,” she said.
Replying to this, TRS MLC Karne Prabhakar hit back at the Congress.
“The Congress is a sinking ship and all the 20 leaders travelling in it are dreaming of becoming the chief minister,” he said.