Bandi evades answers on fund diversion row

Argues TRS leaders did not turn up at temple to swear on issue

Warangal Urban: Making false allegations against the State government and avoiding answers to the questions raised by TRS leaders seems to have become a practice for BJP State president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

During an informal interaction with the media here on Saturday, the BJP leader evaded answers to the assertion that the State government had not diverted any funds released under the Smart City programme. When newsmen sought an answer on the challenge for a debate on the funds diversion issue by Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and local MLA Vinay Bhaskar, Sanjay simply skirted a direct answer but argued that the “TRS leaders had not come to a temple to swear on the issue at the stipulated time”.

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The fund diversion charge elicited a detailed clarification from the government. MA&UD Secretary Arvind Kumar rebutted the charge next day and made it clear that there was no diversion of funds. “Besides, the State government on its part has also released Rs 182.16 crore for developmental works in the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) limits,” he added. The Minister and the MLA then challenged Sanjay for a debate on the issue, but now the BJP leader took recourse to a funny argument that his opponents had not come to the temple to swear on the issue. “We asked them to come to the temple and swear about the development. But the TRS leaders did not turn up on that day.”

The media interaction was a bit hot with journalists shooting question after question to Sanjay. But the BJP leaders evaded answers by simply saying that the TRS MPs couldn’t raise the issue on the floor of Parliament.

Sanjay also tried to use the opportunity to divert attention by charging that the government had not allotted land for the central projects like tribal university, airport at Mamnoor and wagon periodical overhauling unit at Kazipet.

Sanjay said the Centre was ready to take up these projects if adequate land was allotted by the State. Responding to another query on stopping of several irrigation projects taken up in Telangana including the KLIS and the Devadula project by the Jal Shakthi Ministry, Sanjay alleged that the government had not obtained permissions to construct these projects and repeated the charge that the irrigation projects were only a ruse to loot money.

BJP State in-charge Tarun Chug, who was also present at the interaction, had his quota of allegations that the TRS was looting the State and had failed to fulfil the aspirations of people. He sought to explain that there was no clandestine understanding between the TRS and the BJP and repeated yet another claim that the State was diverting central funds to other schemes.

To a question about the BJP efforts to divide people in name of religion by visiting the temples, both Sanjay and Tharun Chug said visiting the temples is a right. “It is a right of every Hindu,” they added.

Former MP Jithender Reddy said the State government had not allotted the land though the Centre had given the nod to set up a Sainik school in Warangal. Bandi maintained that the BJP would win all the divisions in the GWMC elections. BJP Urban district president Rao Padma, former MLA M Dharma Rao, State spokesperson Rakesh Reddy, Gujjual Premender Reddy and others were present in the programme.

Also read:

Khammam: TRS legislators hit out at Bandi Sanjay

 

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