MEDARAM: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy lashed out at the Centre for turning down the Telangana government’s request for national status for Asia’s biggest tribal festival, the Sammakka-Saralamma jatara.
The Chief Minister, who offered prayers to the Sammakka and Saralamma deities in Medaram on Friday, criticised Union minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy for denying the “request of Telangana many times”. He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to visit the jatara in the same spirit with which they went to Ayodhya for the consecration of the Ram temple.
Speaking to media persons, Revanth said that though the Central government has a budget of Rs 45 lakh crore, it released only Rs 3.14 crore for the Medaram Jatara. It, however, had no hesitation in releasing Rs 100 crore for the Kumbhmela. “This shows how biased the Centre is towards south India,” he alleged.
He said that if the previous government was thrown out, it was because of the disrespect it had shown to the Medaram tribal fete. He recalled how his 'Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra' which commenced from Medaram on February 6 last year, had helped the Congress win the November 30 Assembly elections in Telangana. “It was because of the blessings of the Adivasi deities,” he said, adding that his government would develop Medaram further.
He likened the fight of Sammakka and Saralamma on behalf of their people against the Kakatiya rulers to his party’s fight against the previous dispensation to establish a people’s government. He reiterated his commitment to implementing all the electoral promises of the Congress — including the development of Medaram in consultation with all stakeholders.
Revanth: Good news on Rs 2 lakh loan waiver soon
Revanth said the injustice meted out to the people of Telangana by the previous BRS government in the last 10 years was much more than that in the 60 years of undivided Andhra Pradesh. He warned the BJP against showing disrespect to the people of Telangana, and Medaram in particular.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to fulfilling the six guarantees, Revanth said that the farmers would hear good news soon on the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver scheme. “The government is in talks with banks to work out the modalities to implement the loan waiver scheme,” he explained.
Training his guns at BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao, Revanth alleged that they were plotting to destabilise the Congress government.
He accused the KCR government of looting public money in the Kaleshwaram project and rendering Telangana bankrupt. Revanth alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to stop KCR from looting Telangana. Revanth ridiculed the demand of BJP leaders to hand over the Medigadda case to the CBI after the government gave permission for a judicial inquiry.
He said the BJP, which has been in power at the Centre for 10 years, has not filed a case against any member of the KCR family.
The BJP and BRS are in talks over the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Revanth alleged. The BJP will contest 10 Lok Sabha seats and the BRS seven, he claimed.
He said that his government will fill two lakh government jobs without any scope for errors in recruitment.
“We have already filled 25,000 posts including 6,956 staff nurses, 441 in Singareni, 15,000 in police and excise departments. Besides, the government will soon be releasing a notification for recruitment to 6,000 posts on March 2,” he announced and said his government would set up 10 skill development units for the unemployed youths.