Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of ignoring the corruption of the TRS government and putting up a fake fight against the TRS, Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy has asked him to come clean on the ‘injustices’ meted out to Telangana by the BJP government.
On the day Mr. Amit Shah addressed a public meeting on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Saturday, Mr. Reddy posed several questions to him that ranged from ‘alliance’ between the TRS and the BJP; ignoring the ‘corrupt practices’ of the state government; cheating the farmers with the promise of doubling their income, bringing in the three ‘black laws’ and denial of Turmeric Board to Telangana and non-procurement of paddy; denying the promises made to Telangana in the AP Reorganisation Act and breaking the back of people with doubled fuel prices.
In an open letter Mr. Shah, the TPCC president asked him to give sincere answers before leaving Telangana rather than making provocative speeches.
Mr. Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had plundered Telangana’s wealth by redesigning the irrigation projects started by Congress, and despite evidence provided to the Centre no action has come so far. Proof of land scam to coal scam was provided to the Centre by the Congress but no action is taken. While the CBI and ED hounded other opposition parties for speaking the truth, no action is taken against KCR despite huge corruption. ‘Local BJP leaders make all the noise but the BJP at the Centre is silent thus indicating that the two parties were just “fighting in Telangana while being friends in New Delhi.”
He said the fake fight between BJP and TRS on paddy procurement led to huge losses of farmers with hundreds of them committing suicides but neither the BJP nor the TRS wants to take responsibility. He said BJP ignored all the promises made to Telangana like the ITIR project, Tribal University, Bayyaram steel plant and Rail coach factory at Kazipet.
Mr. Reddy also accused the BJP of ignoring Telangana while introducing ‘Sri Ramayana Yatra Express’ under the name ‘Ramayana Circuit’ to the shrines of Lord Rama from Ayodhya to Rameshwaram. “Bhadrachalam is ignored though it is popularly known as South Ayodhya.
The BJP, he said has failed the nation looting people with ever-increasing fuel prices. “When Congress stepped down in 2014, petrol was priced at ₹71.41, and diesel at ₹55.49 and the gas cylinder was ₹470. Today, petrol costs ₹119.66 a litre, diesel ₹105.65 and the cooking gas cylinder is ₹1,052. TRS also has to take the blame for collecting the highest excise tax on fuel, he charged.
