Telangana’s ruling party TRS and opposition Congress on Tuesday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in Parliament and alleged that he has insulted Telangana.
State Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao condemned the PM’s remarks and alleged that he has been repeatedly displaying his malice towards Telangana.
“Telangana is progressing but Modi doesn’t like this. He is afraid that Telangana is overtaking Gujarat in development,” Harish Rao said while addressing a programme in Siddipet district.
Harish Rao alleged that it was BJP which betrayed Telangana by going back on its promise to create a separate state. He recalled that BJP had given slogans of ‘one vote two states’ and passed a resolution at Kakinada in 1999 promising that if voted to power, Telangana will be formed but after coming to power it went back on its word.
Referring to Modi’s comment that Congress acted with arrogance in bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, the TRS leader wondered what had prevented BJP from creating Telangana state in a smooth manner when it was in power at the Centre.
“Is it not BJP which betrayed Telangana by not fulfilling its promise,” asked Harish Rao. Ridiculing the Prime Minister’s remark that the process of bifurcation was against federal spirit, he recalled that the Modi government overnight merged seven mandals of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh. “Did you consult Telangana? Where was your federal spirit then,” he asked.
State Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to people of Telangana for what he called insulting the Telangana martyrs.
Reddy, who is also a member of Parliament, said it was the BJP-led NDA government headed by Vajpayee which betrayed Telangana. “You are saying three states were created by Vajpayee but what about Telangana. Why did the Vajpayee government go back on its promise,” he asked.
The Congress leader said had the NDA created Telangana state, lives of 1,200 Telangana youth would have been saved. He slammed Modi for criticising Congress over bifurcation. The MP said the remarks made by Modi were unbecoming of a Prime Minister.
“Our leader Sonia Gandhi created Telangana state despite knowing very well that the Congress party will suffer politically,” he said.
Both the TRS and Congress leaders also came down heavily on Modi government for its bias towards Telangana during the last seven years.
Revanth Reddy said the Centre failed to fulfill the commitments of setting up a tribal university, railway coach factory, Bayyaram steel plant and 4,000 Megawatt NTPC plant while Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) was scrapped.
The Congress leader said BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy who refused to resign for the sake of Telangana was made a minister at the Centre and this speaks volumes about the Modi government’s attitude towards the state.
The TRS and BJP leaders also asked state BJP leaders to speak out on the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament. Revanth Reddy demanded Kishan Reddy to respond to Modi’s remarks.
“With what face the state BJP leaders will speak to people of Telangana now, asked Harish Rao.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Animal Husbandry T. Srinivas Yadav also reacted strongly to Modi’s remarks and alleged that he was now doing a new drama. He warned the Centre that if it tries to privatise Singareni Collieries, it will have to face the serious repercussions.
