HYDERABAD: Tearing into the claims made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a press meet on Saturday, State Finance Minister T Harish Rao said that BJP and the Union Ministers must put an end to the ‘conspiratorial politics’. He noted that Sitharaman told lies on various issues.
In response to Sitharaman’s demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo be displayed at ration shops, Harish wondered whether Narendra Modi, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, displayed pictures of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh anywhere.
“She (Sitharaman) claimed that Telangana had not submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the Kaleshwaram project, but the Central Water Commission accorded all the permissions for the Kaleshwaram project only after the State government had submitted the DPR. The Technical Advisory Committee of Jal Shakti approved the project with an estimated cost of Rs 80,190 crore,” he said.
“The State government submitted proposals for investment clearance in 2018. The Centre has not accorded investment clearance over the last four years. Now, they say that granting national status to Kaleshwaram is not possible as it did not have investment clearance,” he said.
Harish Rao said that the Centre had failed in implementing the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. He said that the Central government rolled back several welfare schemes and reduced its contribution to various other initiatives. He also alleged that the Centre was not following the FRBM rules while stating that it had every right to control the FRBM loans of the States.
“While the Centre restricts states against opting for off-budget borrowings, the Centre itself has not abstained from doing the same,” Harish said. He wondered whether the State and the Centre had different rules.