HYDERABAD: Taking a strong exception to the Centre usurping the powers of States, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said: "Not satisfied with what it has done so far in emasculating the states, the Centre recently tried to bring the sale of petroleum products under the ambit of the Centre. It later beat a hasty retreat after BJP-ruled states opposed it vehemently."
Speaking in the Assembly, Rao said that his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin had written to him expressing concern over the way the Centre was acting vis-a-vis states. "I am ready to join hands with anyone who wants to fight with the Centre to safeguard the interests of the State," the CM asserted.
He referred to the "cold response" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he met the latter recently and proposed the development of five metro cities excluding Delhi by allocating Rs 20,000 crore each. The CM had suggested that the states concerned could contribute half the sum.