Harish Rao demands BJP to clear Centre’s dues to Telangana

Yadadri-Bhongir: Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Wednesday demanded the Narendra Modi government to release dues to the tune of Rs 33,475 crore to Telangana before seeking votes in the Munugode by-election. He termed the BJP manifesto and ‘mega master plan’ as another attempt to hoodwink the voters of Munugode as none of the electoral […]

Yadadri-Bhongir: Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Wednesday demanded the Narendra Modi government to release dues to the tune of Rs 33,475 crore to Telangana before seeking votes in the Munugode by-election. He termed the BJP manifesto and ‘mega master plan’ as another attempt to hoodwink the voters of Munugode as none of the electoral promises made during the Dubbak and Huzurabad by-polls were implemented till date.

Speaking to the media at Panthangi on the sidelines of a road show, Harish Rao issued a point-by-point rebuttal to the BJP’s electoral promises ahead of the Munugode by-poll. He ridiculed the promise to restore the village tanks under Amruth Sarovar scheme. He pointed out that the State government had already revived and restored all irrigation tanks under Mission Kakatiya. Though the union government copied the scheme, he said it was yet to release Rs 24,000 crore recommended by the NITI Aayog for implementation of Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya.

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Referring to another promise to construct pending irrigation projects in Munugode constituency, the Finance Minister said the Modi government was intentionally delaying finalisation of Telangana’s share in Krishna and Godavari rivers for the last eight years. As a result, the State government was unable to take up several pending projects. He said though the union government accorded national project status to the Polavaram project, Upper Bhadra and Ken-Betwa projects in neighbouring States, it was not extending the same to projects in Telangana despite promise mades in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

“BJP national president JP Nadda should first explain why the Centre was not finalising the State’s share in Krishna and Godavari Rivers before stepping in Telangana,” he demanded. He also rubbished the BJP’s argument that the State government was not providing funds for development of rural areas in the State. How were 16 out of 20 best developed villages under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana then selected from Telangana if the State government did not fund their development, he asked.

Slamming the BJP for making false and misleading promises to the people of Munugode, Harish Rao pointed out none of the promises made by JP Nadda as the then union Health Minister to establish a fluorosis research institution, a 300-bed hospital and other facilities were implemented till date. He demanded the BJP leaders to explain why no textile park was sanctioned to the State, despite latter’s repeated requests in the last eight years. He stated that BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy was more concerned about his contracts than development of the constituency.

Pointing out that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had sanctioned Rs 200 crore for development of Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency after TRS candidate Nomula Bhagath won in the by-election, he said another Rs 1,000 crore was sanctioned for development of Huzurnagar constituency after TRS candidate S Saidi Reddy won in the by-elections. The people of Munugode had already understood that unlike the Centre, the State government would sanction the funds to their assembly constituency on the same lines after the victory of TRS candidate in the by-elections.