Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar condemned the TRS government for disputing the claims of sarpanches over pending bills and took exception to Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao ‘intimidating’ sarpanches.
Mr. Reddy said sarpanches executed works worth hundreds of crores but in a meeting held with Sarpanches Association in Hyderabad on Thursday, Mr. Rao intimidated the sarpanches and openly disputed their claims over pending bills.
Shockingly, the Minister asked the sarpanches to furnish evidence of pending bills. Regrettably, the TRS government is asking the sarpanches to furnish proof of pending bills after they got the works executed several months ago, he said.
Mr. Reddy, who participated in Rachabanda and Rythu Bharosa Yatra which entered its 17th day on Thursday, so far covered 112 villages to enlight farmers about the Warangal Declaration unveiled by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress MP alleged that the TRS government is frustrated over the failure of the ongoing 5th phase of the 'Palle Pragathi' programme. He said that the Panchayat Raj Minister admitted that the bills of about ₹1,140 crore for EGS material components are due from the Centre. "Who is responsible to get these arrears cleared from the Centre? Does Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or Minister Dayakar Rao expect the sarpanches to follow up on the issue directly with the Centre?
The TRS government is trying to wash off its hand by shifting the blame on the Centre. Both the TRS and BJP have neglected the development of villages and both are now trying to play a blame-game to divert people's attention," he said.
He asked the Minister to release a village-wise break-up of ₹9,560 crore which the State government claimed to have released since September 2019.
