HYDERABAD: Asserting that the family members of BJP national president JP Nadda or Prime Minister Narendra Modi would never get a chance to lead the party or the country in the future, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy on Friday sought to know if the TRS leadership could truthfully declare the same. Kishan was responding to TRS Ministers accusing the BJP of encouraging family rule within the party, pointing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah holding the position of BCCI Secretary. Addressing the media at BJP party office here, Kishan condemned the ruling party leaders for accusing the Centre of giving nothing to Telangana, that too when the Prime Minister was on an official visit to the State.
Reminding that Ramagundam Fertiliser Factory, AIIMS at Bibinagar, Regional Ring Road, National Highway, and many other infrastructural projects were sanctioned by the Centre for Telangana, he questioned the sincerity of the State government in acquiring / allotting land for Sainik School in Warangal, Science City and Tribal Museum in Hyderabad, Kothagudem-Bhadrachalam railway line and Ghatkesar-Yadadri MMTS line. “They will allot prime land for TRS party office in no time, but will not show land for these important institutions despite me writing letters repeatedly, which were conveniently ignored,” Kishan said.
Noting that TRS leaders had no moral high ground to criticise Modi, the Union Minister challenged Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to an open debate on the funds given to gram panchayats, basti dawakhanas, and to declare how much the State government was contributing to the `1-per-kg rice scheme. “You will borrow lakhs of crores, but you don’t have funds to pay salaries to government employees, Arogyasri scheme, fees reimbursement, Aasara pensions and contractors carrying out GHMC works,” he said.
On TRS leaders giving the entire credit of achieving statehood for Telangana to the Chief Minister’s family, Kishan claimed that no one in the inner circle of the TRS supremo had participated in the Telangana movement.“JAC leaders were shown the door just because they questioned the family rule and autocratic rule of KCR. Is this the qualitative change which he talks about?” he asked, noting that “Razakars” (alluding to the AIMIM) and Nizam’s (Rao’s) rule had destroyed Telangana.
Kishan rubbished the Goebbels’ propaganda of TRS leaders blaming the BJP for merging the seven mandals in erstwhile Khammam district with AP after bifurcation of the State. He urged the Chief Minister to check TRS’ manifesto of 2014, where he himself had condemned Congress for merging the seven mandals unfairly.
Statehood shocker
■On TRS leaders giving the entire credit of achieving statehood for Telangana to the Chief Minister’s family, Kishan claimed that no one in the inner circle of the TRS supremo had participated in the Telangana movement.