More than anybody (party) else it is the Congress that is responsible for reducing Palamuru, the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, to have gruel centres unable to produce enough food, provide drinking water and forcing people to migrate in search of livelihoods although two major rivers pass through it, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrashekhar Rao has said.
The district had many tall leaders who enjoyed posts and power but they had never fought either for providing drinking water to people or to irrigate the parched lands and instead supported leaders who diverted the river waters to Rayalaseema at the cost of Palamuru people who had the first right over water, he said on Monday addressing election rallies at Devarakadra, Gadwal, Makthal and Narayanpet.
“It was the Bachawat Tribunal that had sanctioned Jurala project on its own after witnessing the plight of the people here in 1974 and allocated 17 tmc ft water to it. However, it was not taken up until T. Anjaiah from Telangana became the Chief Minister. Water to the ayacut was not given even after completion of the project as water could not impounded in the reservoir until TRS (BRS) took up the cause in 2001 and the then government paid money to Karnataka to settle the land acquisition issue,” Mr. Chandrashekar Rao explained.
Asking the people to elect BRS candidates only if his words have truth, he said it was history and they go through it. The Congress had agreed to give Statehood to Telangana in 2004 but delayed it by 10 years. It was the Congress that had forcibly merged Telangana with Andhra against the wishes of people here. If not merged with Andhra in 1956, Palamuru would have been progressed much better than what it was now, he stated.
He mentioned the issue of Scheduled Tribes status to Valmiki Boya community at Gadwal, Makthal and Narayanpet meets and blamed the first Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy for it. The community was included in the ST list in Andhra but not in Telangana, he mentioned. Telangana Assembly had adopted a resolution twice on the issue but the Centre was sitting over it, he noted.
Asking the people (electorate) to look at the history of parties and what they did for Palamuru and Telangana all these years, the Telangana Chief Minister urged them to use their powerful weapon of vote with discretion and by making an informed decision. He also asked the crowds whether they favour 24×7 free power to farming or limited hours as being spoken by Congress leaders to receive a resounding response for the existing system.
He told the gatherings at the rallies to support BRS candidates A. Venkateshwar Reddy, B. Krishnamohan Reddy, Ch. Rammohan Reddy and S. Rajender Reddy, respectively, to ensure BRS victory and allow continuation of the good work being done.
