HYDERABAD: Setting the campaign tone for the upcoming local body elections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday challenged BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy to an open debate on the 12 months of Congress rule, the 10 years the BRS was in power and the 12 years of the BJP regime at the Centre.
Responding to the allegations levelled by the Opposition that the Congress in the state has not delivered on its promises, Revanth accused opposition leaders of turning a blind eye to the development activities in the state.
“I challenge Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay, KCR and KTR to an open debate over the 12 years of Modi rule, 10 years of KCR rule and 12 months of my government. I, along with Damodar Rajanarsimha, will come for the debate. You decide the date and place, if you are ready to debate what you have done,” the chief minister thundered. He was addressing a public meeting in Narayanpet district after launching several development projects, including the Indiramma Housing Scheme, the inauguration of a petrol bunk run by Mahila Samakya, a medical college, a nursing college and an integrated school.
Targeting KCR, Revanth accused his predecessor of not completing any of the projects in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.
KCR couldn’t, I’ll complete M’nagar projects: CM
Alleging that KCR has betrayed Telangana, he said that if the BRS chief had completed Bheema, Koilsagar, Rajolibanda, Thummilla, and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects in the last 10 years, Andhra Pradesh would not have objected to the projects now.
“During the rule of YSR (Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy), KCR’s servitude led to the approval of widening for the Pothireddypadu head regulator from 4,000 cusecs to 40,000 cusecs. KCR and Harish Rao, who was minister in the YSR Cabinet, approved it. Again, after the BRS came to power, and when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, they agreed to further widen Pothireddypadu. If this project is completed, they would draw 10 tmcft daily from Krishna, totaling 30 tmcft per month, for which people like Srikantha Chary sacrificed their lives,” the chief minister said.
Asserting that he would complete the projects in the next five years, Revanth also promised to give better compensation, even up to Rs 20 lakh per acre, for lands acquired from farmers for development projects.
Reiterating that the state government has decided to sanction 3,500 Indiramma houses for each Assembly segment, the chief minister said that the goal was five lakh houses across Telangana with around 5,000 units in each of the 117 segments.
Challenging the pink party to seek votes in the local body elections in areas where the BRS regime distributed 2BHK Dignity houses, he said that the Congress would ask for votes in villages where it had previously sanctioned Indiramma houses. Revanth alleged that KCR turned Mahbubnagar into a desert by not completing the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project. KCR and Harish Rao, who served as Irrigation ministers, are the reason for Mahbubnagar being neglected, he charged.
Referring to KCR’s statements, Revanth said that the BRS chief should “beat his family members for their wrongdoings like KTR’s farmhouse drugs case, Kavitha’s Delhi liquor scam and Harish Rao’s corruption in the Kaleshwaram project.”
Earlier in the day, the chief minister interacted with medical and paramedical students, women’s self-help groups and Indiramma housing scheme beneficiaries, along with his Cabinet colleagues Danasari Anasuya, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Damodar Rajanarsimha. The chief minister appealed to the beneficiaries to make the best use of the resources for a better future.