Telangana BJP President and Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, on November 5, he can get the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate into the design and construction flaws of the Medigadda Barrage under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme “within two hours” of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao giving the requisite permission.
“If the Chief Minister signs the letter at 2 p.m., by 4 p.m., I can request the CBI to begin the probe because the State Government has withdrawn permission for the investigative agency to function here. The only other way the CBI can investigate is if it gets an order from the High Court of the Supreme Court,” he attested at ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised by the Press Club of Hyderabad.
The BJP leader was responding to a question about the role of the Centre in the Kaleshwaram project since it has given the requisite permissions and also provided seven lakh crore rupees loan to this and other works in Telangana in the last nine years.
“The various central financial institutions including the Power Corporation of India and others only look at the repayment capacity of the respective States when they disburse loans in a democratic polity likes ours. The loans were given based on the State Government’s usage of water projections to benefit the farmers and people,” he maintained.
However, “KCR has totally sunk the Telangana people and the Kaleshwaram project acting like a ‘super engineer’ and disregarding the engineering experts advice and wasting thousands of crores of rupees in going ahead with the works without transparency and accountability,” said the Minister.
Mr. Kishan Reddy also challenged the Chief Minister for a public debate on the Central Government’s assistance to TS and the work done by the TRS/BRS Government in the last nine years at the Press Club or at the Martyrs Memorial in front of the secretariat at any date or time of the latter’s convenience for any number of hours.
The BJP leader once again tried to debunk the ‘BRS-BJP’ alleged relationship and reasons for KCR’s daughter and MLC K. Kavitha not being arrested in the Delhi liquor scam rather forcefully. “The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned former Congress Party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case for several hours. Were they arrested? Does it mean there is a bonhomie between the BJP and the Congress Party?,” he questioned.
He went on: “The BJP does not direct the central investigative agencies. They look at the evidence and act as per the law. About 226 persons have been questioned in the Delhi liquor scam and some have been arrested. The law will take its own course. We have never been in alliance with the BRS before and will not be in the future either. How can we tie up with a party that is friendly with the Majlis Party, a successor to Nizam’s militia Razakars, notorious for atrocities against women and others,” wondered the Minister.
The central leadership of the party has decided to have a Backward Class person as the chief minister if it is elected to power, hence it was decided he should not contest the Assembly elections this time lest it sends “confused signals” to the people.
“The BCs form 55% of the population and if they decide to unite, I am confident we will come to power on our own. Did not Telugu Desam and N.T. Rama Rao come to power on the social justice plank and promising two rupees a kilo?,” he questioned. The Jana Sena Party is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and an alliance was very much in order. It is a small issue,” he explained to another question.
The Minister also claimed that prices of essential commodities is no longer an issue since 2014 since the Modi Government has managed to control them effectively. But, there could be a spike in prices in certain commodities, like onion, now due to farm output and global issues yet the Central Government has banned exports and has been allowing imports to cool down the price, he said, pointing out that the Centre has been providing free foodgrains to 85% of the population and will continue to do so for another five years.
Stating that the ‘Pragati Bhavan’ has become a KCR’s personal property, a BJP Government when elected will ensure it will become a “people’s Pragati Bhavan’ and will ensure corruption-free, democratic governance where justice will be done to all sections without discrimination. “We will release a job calendar to fill up vacancies, ensure healthcare is available, improve assets, create wealth and reform the education sector,” he added. PCH president L. Venugopala Naidu, general secretary R. Ravikanth Reddy and others were present.
