HYDERABAD: State BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Sunday slammed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for stating that the saffron party was trying to come to power in the state by selectively deleting voters’ names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He alleged that the chief minister’s comment is driven by growing public opposition to the Congress government and the BJP’s rising popularity.
Addressing the gathering after welcoming a group of young leaders from BC communities, including Munnuru Kapus, associated with the BRS into the BJP fold, he said: “The Congress government is misusing official machinery under the pretext of SIR.
Names of lakhs of BJP voters were removed from the electoral rolls in the Secunderabad parliamentary constituency. This government of deliberately trying to erase the votes of people who migrated from neighbouring states because they support the BJP. Even family members of key BJP leaders are being harassed by sending notices.”
He urged the field-level Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are also state government employees, to perform their constitutional duties impartially.
Referring to the state of the education sector in the state, he said: “Telangana allocates a mere nine per cent of its Budget, while the national average Budget stands at 14.5 per cent. As the chief minister also holds the education portfolio, he must take full onus for the dismal situation. He should visit the Osmania University hostels and speak with students to understand the deplorable living conditions in those hostels.”
Faulting the chief minister for seeking two more years to resolve the teachers’ issues, he wondered what he would resolve in the remaining two years of his five-year tenure. “Retired teachers are suffering without pensions, while those serving are suffering because of delayed salaries and lack of promotions. Owing to fee reimbursement dues, private teachers are being paid half their salary,” he said.
