Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and development of northeast region G. Kishan Reddy, on Friday, once again offered to have a “public debate” with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on the Centre’s financial assistance to Telangana State in the last eight years.
“Every sphere of development or welfare activities being taken up here is because of funding by the Centre. Can the TRS government tell people about how much money has been allotted to the gram panchayats as against the Centre’s release of funds?,” he questioned, at a press conference held at the party office on Friday.
Mr. Reddy, also Secunderabad MP, asserted that in the subsidised free rice of five kilos being issues since the COVID pandemic broke out in 2020, the Centre bears ₹28 as subsidy and the State government just ₹2. The ‘basti dawakhanas’ are coming up with Centre’s funds, the flagship irrigation project of TRS at Kaleshwaram is funded by the Centre’s financial institutions as also the new national highways and railway lines,” he claimed.
“The funds are not being sourced by the Kalvakuntla family from abroad. Is Telangana developing without any financial assistance from the Centre? The TRS leaders keep on questioning about the funds from Centre trying to fool the people but no one is ready to buy their point of view,” said the Union Minister.
Mr. Reddy demanded that the TRS provide details on what has it done in the last eight years having taken “thousands of crores in loans”. “The Centre is ready to take up and complete pending works of national highways and railway lines if the land acquisition is expedited by the state government. I urge the Government to immediately take up MMTS Phase-II and rail link to Yadadri,” he said.
The MP charged the TRS government with “not responding” to several official letters on setting up of the Sainik School in Warangal, proposed Science City in twin cities, tribal museum in the name of Komarum Bheem, etc. “The main issue is that KCR is already worried about the ground slipping underneath his feet and he should realise Telangana people have not given any general power of attorney to his family. In fact, the struggle for separate state began in 1969 itself and except those sitting beside the CM, rest of the politicians have been part of the agitation over the years,” he claimed.
The Minister also questioned the “revolutionary” changes of TRS government and wondered if it pertained to “not visiting the secretariat, refusing to meet people’s representatives or event those who were part of the joint action committee which has spearheaded the agitation”, etc.
