Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has ridiculed the comments of Union Finance Minster Nirmala Sitharaman made on various issues during her visit to the Kamareddy district in the State on Friday.
Speaking at Nizamabad, Minister for Legislative Affairs and Roads and Buildings V. Prashanth Reddy said before point finger at Telangana which has borrowed money well within the FRBM Act limits the Union Minister should have checked the Centre’s borrowings which were much beyond what was provisioned under the Act.
By borrowing ₹93 lakh crore during the last 8 years, the Narendra Modi Goverment had taken the country’s debt to ₹155 lakh crore and it was at a whopping 62% of the country’s GDP. He stated that the BJP Government had pushed the country into a debt trap by borrowing money beyond all limits.
He alleged that the Union Minister had unveiled petty politics by disrespecting and threatening a District Collector for not having the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fair price shop. Minister for Finance T. Harish Rao has rebutted her allegations made on Thursday point-by-point and she had no answers on those issued on Friday.
Observing that Ms. Sitharaman was a failure minister, he said she had not moral standing to speak on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He reiterated that Telangana had contributed ₹3,65,797 crore tax collection to the Centre’s kitty but in turn the Centre had shared only ₹1,96,400 crore to Telangana. He said Telangana was among the four major State economies that were driving the country’s economy.
He sought to know from the Union Minister why KCR’s photo was not being put up in States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and others which were getting a share of tax revenue collected in Telangana. He also faulted her on claiming that Centre had given funds to Kaleshwaram without according national project status to it.
Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar pointed out that of the 90.34 lakh food security cards in the State the Centre was contributing only to 59% of the cards by providing rice at ₹3 a kg with a limit of 5 kg per person. Adding one more kg to every person the State Government was supplying rice at ₹1 a kg by bearing ₹3,610 crore subisidy.
Similarly, during the Covid-19 pandemic the State Government had given 10 kg rice per person against 5 kg given by the Centre, free of cost. Besides, private school teachers and migrant workers were also given ₹1,500 cash per household and 5 kg rice per person.
Speaking at Banswada, Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who said he was speaking in the capacity as a former minister and not as the Speaker, faulted Ms. Sitharaman’s comments on various issues including farmers’ suicides.
(eom)
