Accusing the Narendra Modi-led Central Government of adopting discriminatory approach towards Telangana, Minister for Industries and IT K. T. Rama Rao lamented that several representations made to the Centre to cooperate in the development of Greater Hyderabad region had yielded no response so far.
The Centre was asked to cooperate in allotting defence land for construction of proposed skyways that pass through the cantonment areas. “There is change in the Ministers holding the Defence portfolio, but our representations went unheeded. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao personally met the Prime Minister and made a request in this direction, but in vain,” he said.
The Minister submitted a memorandum to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, requesting him to allot lands in cantonment area and assuring that the State was prepared to allot equal extent of land to the Defence Ministry in return. “What the Centre has done to Telangana in the last nine years is a big zero,” he said, recalling the State’s representations seeking land for construction of skyway from Jubilee Bus Stand to Rajiv Rahadari and another one connecting Paradise crossroads to ORR at Medchal. “We have requested 96-acre land on Rajiv Rahadari and another 56-acre land on the road leading to Medchal assuring that an equal extent of valuable land will be given in return. But there is no response from the Centre,” he said.
The State had been representing these issues for the past ten years and was hopeful that the Centre would respond at least now. He recalled how several detailed project reports for extension of metro rail had been submitted to the Centre in the past and said he would meet Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri yet again for extension of metro rail from Lakdi-ka-Pul to BHEL and from Nagole to LB Nagar.
Mr. Rama Rao appealed to the Centre yet again to cooperate with Telangana Government in its steps to strengthen the road network and said the Government would take the issues to the people if the Centre did not respond. In this context, he wondered whether Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy was aware of the facts or whether he was feigning ignorance. “Mr. Kishan Reddy in his PowerPoint presentation showed the loans given to people as funds released by the Centre,” he said.
The Minister was critical of Mr. Modi-led Government for not cooperating in extension of metro rail project in Telangana while the same Government had sanctioned metro projects to small cities in Uttar Pradesh.
‘PM will take capital to Gujarat if given an opportunity’
Mr. Rama Rao alleged that given an opportunity, the Prime Minister would shift the national capital to Gujarat. The Bharat Rashtra Samiti believed in uniting the people across the country, not political parties. The two national parties -- the Congress and the BJP -- failed in developing the country in line with the aspirations of people as could be seen from the fact that there were still villages where there was no power supply after 75 years of Independence.
There was need for people to join forces against the two parties and the BRS would continue its efforts to bring together people in this direction. The BRS leadership was committed to replicating the developmental model that resulted in Telangana making rapid strides in development across the country.
He alleged that the Congress and the BJP had colluded in the previous Lok Sabha elections to Nizamabad and Karimnagar seats and people were aware of such moves by these parties. Describing Mr. Narendra Modi as “weakest Prime Minister” of the country, he said the BRS would oppose any moves by the Centre to dilute the federal spirit enshrined in the Constitution.
