CM KCR questions PM Modi over Census study

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanded reasons for not taking up the census in the country

Hyderabad: Charging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government with inefficiency and incompetence, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanded reasons for not taking up the census in the country, which he pointed out was the basic input for planned development of States as well as the country. Running the government without planning was nothing short of target practising in the dark.

“The process of census began way back in 1871. From then on until 2011, the process never came to a halt. Even during the two world wars, it didn’t stop. Only through a census can a government gauge the situation in the country and the condition of its people. The Centre is not doing it because they are afraid of people knowing the current situation,” he said.

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In his reply to discussion on the State budget in the Assembly on Sunday, the Chief Minister said people belonging to the BC and SC castes were demanding a caste census. “That is because the SC population was fixed at 15 percent way back ago. But with authority, I can say that it has now crossed 17 percent. In some States, it has even crossed 19 percent,” he said.

On Vande Bharat accidents

Chandrashekhar Rao mocked Prime Minister Modi for inaugurating the Vande Bharat trains ’14 times’ only to hit a buffalo and get damaged. He reminded that none of the Prime Ministers in the past launched trains this often. “We have a Prime Minister who flags off trains and union Ministers who dedicate passenger lifts to the nation. Is this how the Central government should run?” he asked.

Under the BJP regime, he said industrial growth and infrastructure development had suffered leading to rising unemployment and all sectors falling into a crisis. He said the BJP was interested only in beating its own drums.

Infrastructure development

The Chief Minister highlighted lack of infrastructure to facilitate growth. He reminded that while Singapore handles nearly 37.3 million containers per annum through its single port, India handles only 20.7 million containers across the country.

Similarly, India is lagging behind in terms of logistics with average speed of goods train at 24 kmph and average speed of trucks at 55 kmph. “From national highways to railways and airports, everything is congested. But the Centre is least bothered,” he said.

He castigated successive governments led by the Congress and the BJP over their repeated failures to address the challenges faced by the country appropriately. “Except for Jawaharlal Nehru who worked selflessly for the nation, both the Congress and the BJP have failed in fulfilling the basic needs of the nation and its people. India has no combined goal today and people are being misled for votes,” he said.

Winning elections through money, liquor and even by killing people has become the ultimate goal for political parties, Chandrashekhar Rao said. Referring to uninterrupted power supply in the State, he said if the right and committed person became the Prime Minister as happened in Telangana, uninterrupted power supply could be realised within a short period. “People don’t need Vishwa Gurus, we need Desh Gurus to address our problems,” he said.