Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao said that BJP president J.P. Nadda has been speaking lies about Telangana and it has exposed lack of coordination and internal bickering among party leaders.
“Mr. Nadda said that irrigation was not provided even a single acre through Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Similarly, he said that there was corruption in Kaleshwaram project, Central schemes are being campaigned as State schemes and the irrigation projects in Palamur would be completed if BJP comes to power. All these are lies and I am ready to counter them point by point,” said Mr. Harish Rao while addressing a party workers’ meeting held at Siddipet on Sunday.
“We are ready to prove Mr Nadda is wrong. Let him visit any corner of the State and we can bear the expenditure. Speak with farmers directly. In 20 districts out of the total 33, people are getting irrigation and drinking water. Mr. Nadda is speaking quite contradictory to what Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari spoke about Kaleshwaram project who described it as growth engine for Telangana,” said Mr. Harish Rao adding that another Union Minister Bisweswar Tudu told in Parliament that there was no corruption in the KLIS.
Countering the allegation of Centre’s schemes being propagated as State schemes, the Finance Minister wanted to know the share of Centre in the schemes being implemented in the State like Kaleshwaram, Mission Bhagiratha, Rytu Bandhu, Rytu Beema, Kalyana Lakshmi and Dalti Bandhu among others. He also asked the BJP national president to furnish details of fund flow between State and Centre.
Referring to Palamur irrigation project, Mr. Harish Rao recalled the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 that they would complete the project if voted to power and wanted to know what happened to the promise made about eight years ago.
“Centre has funded projects like Polavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Upper Bhadra in Karntaka and Ken Batva in Bundelkhand but not a single paise was allotted to any of the projects in Telangana. Why this discrimination?” asked Mr. Harish Rao reminding the BJP president that the party is already in power at Centre and can sanction funds for Telangana.
On the comments made by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi, the Minister said that the Congress had failed to fight against the BJP and those who worked for TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu were now in the Congress. He wanted to know in what position Mr. Rahul Gandhi made Warangal Declaration.
