Ahead of his plans to float a national political party, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is also the president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), has stepped up attack against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this time from the floor of the Assembly.
Policy paralysis and lopsided decision-making are weighing heavily against the poor and farmers and the BJP government’s practise of divisive and communal politics is leading the country towards foodgrains crisis, unabated inflation, rising prices, falling rupee value and falling of stature before the international community, he alleged while speaking on a short discussion on Central Electricity Bill in the Assembly on Monday.
Apparently referring to the Prime Minister as “vishwaguru” repeatedly in his over 90-minute reply, the Chief Minister said in spite of making tall claims of “Make in India” the country was forced to depend on China for shaving blades, nail cutters, crackers, kite-flying thread (manza) and even national flags. He alleged that writing off corporates’ debt of ₹12 lakh crore by terming them as NPAs (non-performing assets) was a scam.
He stated that that writing off NPAs was not a stimulus but helping the needy sections with interventions such investment support given under Rythu Bandhu and support given to take up economic activity under Dalit Bandhu, free power to agriculture and other such scheme were genuine stimulus. They were not freebies as being branded by some political and intellectual sections but efforts to stimulate economic activities, he said justifying several State government schemes.
Alleging that the larger conspiracy behind the Centre’s policies, including power reforms, was to make farmers give up agriculture with the burden of costs in the form of increasing input prices of fertilizer, diesel, power, farm machinery rentals (for preparatory cultivation such as ploughing, tilling and later harvesting) and denial of remunerative or even support price to the produce in the name of market reforms. Such a scenario would pave the way for entry of private companies for taking up farming and ultimately controlling the price of food, he explained.
Giving an example of “incompetent policies” of the Centre, the Chief Minister said the Centre had refused to procure parboiled rice from the State during the last Rabi season citing surplus stocks as the reason and thus causing loss to farmers. However, the Centre was making farmers suffer loss again by imposing restrictions on export of non-Basmati rice which has huge demand in the world market and banning the export of broken rice completely.
He condemned the talk of single party rule in the country, as spoken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Munugode recently, and observed that perhaps toppling the non-BJP governments in 11 States so far was part of its plan towards unipolar politics in the country against the spirit of the Constitution and democracy.
Terming the situation that was making a State to criticise the Centre due to its discriminatory and vengeful approach towards some States as unfortunate, Mr. Rao sought to know “can’t we float a national party having national spirit and attitude”.
