HYDERABAD: The efforts of the TRS government to convince the opposition Congress about the progress it has made in its 2BHK housing scheme fell terribly flat on Friday. An ugly political drama was on full display when a furious Cinematography Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav cut short his guided tour for Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, meant to show off the number of 2BHKs the government has built so far for the poor.
It all started when Talasani, flanked by Minister Malla Reddy and GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, ascended at Bhatti’s residence to begin Day 2 of the 2BHK tour. He took the CLP leader to Thukkuguda in Maheshwaram constituency of Rangareddy district and Nagaram in Medchal district to flaunt the number of houses the government had built. But, Bhatti was far from impressed. He, in front of all the media, with Talasani standing beside him, accused the TRS Ministers of misleading the people by showing 2BHK houses in “other districts” and not those built in the GHMC area. For some clarity here, it seems like Bhatti wanted a peek into the scheme’s progress in the GHMC limits and not the neighbouring districts of Hyderabad.
This did not go down well with Talasani and he called ‘Mission Abort!’ Later, speaking at a press meet, the Cinematography Minister said, “Bhatti Vikramarka won the election in Madira of Khammam district, but lives in Hyderabad and enjoys Hyderabad’s water, power and roads. Despite all this, how can he speak like that? I was standing right beside him when he was speaking to the media.”
Bhatti spoke to Express about the incident. He said the State government was trying to win votes for the upcoming GHMC elections by showing 2BHK houses in Rangareddy and Medchal districts. He said Talasani showed him only 3,428 houses in the GHMC limits, 2,006 at Thukkuguda, and 6,000 in Nagaram.
Now, the government officials have informed him about another tour on Saturday, this time to Kolluru and Tellapur in Rangareddy district, he claimed. Stating that the number of 2BHKs would not exceed 22,000, even if the houses constructed at Tellapur and Kolluru are counted, Bhatti asked, “Where are the one lakh houses? Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had announced in the House that 4,000 houses would be built in every Assembly segment. Going by that, there is a shortage of 2,000 houses in Maheshwaram itself. During the municipal elections, the TRS promised to build houses in Thukkuguda and Nagaram, and now, they are trying to deceive the people with false promises,” Bhatti lashed out.