Minister for IT and Legislative Affairs D. Sridhar Babu wondered at the impatience of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) in releasing a booklet demanding the implementation of Congress promises when the government was just 30 days old.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, he asked why was the BRS so impatient and said it reflected their inability to digest people’s rejection of the party. If the BRS wants the Congress to implement all its promises in 30 days of governance, it should explain to people on its failed promises in the last nine years, he said.
“The BRS should explain why it failed to implement the distribution of three acres land to Dalits, making Dalit a Chief Minister, enhancement of 12% reservations to Muslims and ₹3,016 unemployment dole to every unemployed graduate,” he said. “Does the BRS have any answers for these promises,” he asked, while reminding that the Congress implemented two of its six promises within a week of the government coming to power .
Mr. Sridhar Babu asked whether the BRS had fought in the Parliament for the Bayyaram steel plant, national status for irrigation projects, tribal university and other promises made in the Bifurcation Act. The release of a booklet with 420 promises is a frustrated effort of the BRS rather than introspecting on the reasons for their party’s rejection, he said. “People know who is 420 and who is double 420,” he said, mocking the BRS.
Asking the BRS leaders to reduce their arrogance, he said the Congress government had opened Praja Bhavan to people and thousands are visiting with their grievances. He said the same people were denied an audience with the government for the last nine years with the BRS leaders confining themselves to their citadels.
He said the Congress government called for the Assembly sessions within a few days of taking over, while the former Chief Minister did not even constitute his Cabinet a month after the government took over. The first sessions then were held after 36 days with just the Chief Minister handling all the Ministries. It is that arrogance that people have rejected, he said.
‘BRS against women’
Panchayat Raj Minister D. Seethakka alleged that the BRS was unable to digest the free travel scheme for women and was provoking the autorickshaw drivers to oppose the scheme. Let the BRS make its stand clear whether it opposes the free travel scheme to women on RTC buses, she asked.
