HYDERABAD: IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao has trashed the statements of Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on the Central government’s flood relief funds given to Telangana.He said Kishan was blatantly lying by giving out false statistics. “Though he is an MP from Telangana, instead of standing up for the people of the State during such difficult times, he is spreading lies,” Rama Rao alleged in a statement here on Thursday.
He said Kishan Reddy was making such false statements only to strengthen his position in his party and be a part of the ‘Golmaal Batch’ led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Kishan Reddy should apologise to the people of Telangana for spreading falsehood about the NDRF funds. If Kishan Reddy has any love for Telangana, he should ensure bringing special funds to the State under NDRF,” he demanded.
“Isn’t it the Centre’s responsibility to come to the rescue of the States when floods were wreaking havoc,” Rama Rao asked.When asked about how much the Central government allocated to Telangana under the NDRF, Kishan Reddy is confusing people by the numbers of SDRF which is the rightful share of Telangana under Article 280, he said.
‘Discriminatory attitude’
Rama Rao asked Kishan to read the statement given by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Parliament where he clearly said that there was not a single penny given to Telangana after 2018. “Is it not true that the Prime Minister himself conducted a survey on floods in Gujarat and released Rs 1,000 crore NDRF special additional assistance in the form of advance in 2021,” Rama Rao asked and alleged that PM Modi was blind to the problems faced by the people of Telangana.
“We will keep questioning his discriminatory attitude,” Rama Rao said. The Minister said PM Modi was releasing funds to the flood-affected BJP-ruled States, whereas, they were just sending inspection teams to the other States, affected by calamities. “When they can allocate Rs 15,270 crore to four BJP-ruled states, why cannot they provide special funds to Telangana in a similar way,” Rama Rao asked.