Hyderabad: Targeting the Congress and TDP, TRS chief and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday alleged Telangana had suffered in irrigation and other sectors due to negligence during their rule.
On the other hand, it was during the TRS rule that development and welfare had been taken up on a large-scale in various sectors, he claimed at an election rally at Wanaparthy near Mahabubnagar. Rao also lashed out at them for their tie-up for the coming assembly polls.
Hitting back at Rao, Congress state unit president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the TRS chief had no moral right to question his party’s alliance with any other party. Rao should “mind his own business and stop commenting on Congress party’s allies,” Reddy said at a meeting of Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee’s executive.
After opting for premature dissolution of the state assembly last month for early elections, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supremo has announced candidates for 105 segments out of the total 119 in the state. Rao has been attacking the Congress and TDP President and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who have decided to form an alliance for the assembly elections in Telangana, during his campaign meetings in the last few days.
He alleged that irrigation projects in the Mahabubnagar region suffered delays because of the negligence of Congress leaders. “What is the gift given by the 60 years of Congress, TDP rule to Palamuru (Mahabubnagar) district?… When you say Mahabubnagar, it is the district of migrations, droughts, labour. Is this the gift they have given for 60 years? Pending projects district,” Rao said.
Congress leaders from Mahabubnagar extended their support when then chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, worked against the interests of Telangana region in the irrigation sector, he charged. Tracing the Telangana movement, he claimed first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru merged Telangana with Andhra Pradesh against its wish.
Late prime minister Indira Gandhi was responsible for the death of about 400 agitators, who fought for separate Telangana in 1969, in police firing, he alleged. Later, the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi delayed formation of separate Telangana and the party finally agreed to the demand due to the agitation “out of compulsion,” he claimed.
Training guns on Naidu, Rao alleged the TDP supremo did not actually work for development of Mahabubnagar district though he had “adopted” it for nine years in undivided Andhra. In a blistering attack on the alliance of Congress, TDP and others for the assembly polls, he asked, “Should we handover the self-respect of Telangana to Andhraites again?… Should we become slaves to Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh capital). Should decisions of Telangana happen in Telangana or Delhi?”
On reported comments of Naidu that he (Rao) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have “come together,” Rao sought to know the need for such a tie-up. Reacting to Rao’s comments, Reddy said the TRS had an alliance with TDP for the elections in 2009. “MIM had strongly opposed formation of Telangana till 2014. But today the same MIM is an ally of TRS. When you can ally with MIM, why can’t Congress go along with TDP?” he said.
While addressing a press conference immediately after dissolution of the Assembly, Rao had claimed that Congress-TDP alliance would not affect him in any way as TRS would get 50 per cent votes, he said. However, having sensed a humiliating defeat in the next elections, Rao has started targeting TDP and Congress leaders, Reddy claimed.
He said it was Congress party’s prerogative to choose an ally. Reddy claimed that Rao has advanced the Assembly elections “only to cheat” the Muslim community. “KCR hopes to win the assembly elections with the support of Muslims votes and then switch his loyalties to BJP in the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
About Rao’s comments that he had risked his life when he undertook an indefinite fast in support of separate Telangna demand, Reddy cited medical reports and claimed that the fast was “fake” as he was being administered IV fluids, multivitamins and others through injections.
Reddy alleged that the growth and development of Telangana has come to a halt after TRS came to power. It was the previous Congress Government that developed Hyderabad as a global city from 2004 to 2014. The major landmarks in the city, including Outer Ring Road, PVNR Express Way, the international airport, Hyderabad Metro Rail project, flyovers and other infrastructure was all created by Congress Government, he claimed.