HYDERABAD: Stating that the people of Telangana had expected tangible benefits from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar rued that they were left disappointed. He pointed out that the state government extended a respectful welcome to Modi at the airport and that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy participated in the official programmes.
Addressing a press meet at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, Prabhakar criticised Modi for advising people to avoid using petrol and diesel, refrain from buying gold, and limit the use of cooking oil while his own roadshow had thousands of vehicles taking part. “Is it appropriate for a prime minister to make such statements? Did he himself follow his own advice?” the minister questioned.
He accused the Union government of burdening citizens while claiming to provide good governance, and said such statements created fear instead of confidence among the public. He noted that BJP leaders, including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and G Kishan Reddy, had alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram project and demanded a CBI probe, but were now silent on the issue.
He questioned why the Centre was not initiating an inquiry if it believed there were irregularities. He challenged BJP leaders to a public debate on the Centre’s and state’s funding shares in projects and alleged that while other states receive adequate funds, Telangana continued to face discrimination.
Minister suggests panchayat route in Bandi son’s case
On the allegations involving the son of Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, Prabhakar said a fair and impartial investigation must be conducted. He asserted that no attempt should be made to influence the probe using official position and warned that any pressure from those in power would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, his comments on a sensitive issue involving caste associations and an alleged underage matter sparked a debate in political and social circles. The minister, however, stated that certain representatives of caste groups were attempting to defame the government or specific individuals.
Prabhakar clarified that there was no mention of caste angles such as BCs or SCs in the issue, adding that the girl involved belongs to the same community as Bhageerath.
“There is no political motive behind this. As elders of the community, you may prefer to resolve the matter through a panchayat, decide on marriage or take any course of action you deem fit. However, if the girl is underage, it is up to you to decide how you deal with the legal provisions,” he said.
