PM Modi calls bifurcation ‘unscientific’, triggers backlash

Modi says division was unscientific, done behind closed doors with mikes going silent

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visceral hatred for Telangana stood exposed on Tuesday at the very altar of democracy – Parliament – that granted statehood to the utterly neglected region eight years ago.

Telangana has come a long way since 2014, emerging as a progressive, rapidly developing and growth-oriented State, a fact acknowledged by all.

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Perhaps, for the very same reason of a prospering Telangana, Modi, replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in Rajya Sabha, questioned the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, triggering an avalanche of protests, of indignation and of outrage from the State. Modi, in his attempt to corner the Congress, said the bifurcation was unscientific, done behind closed doors, without any discussion and mikes in Parliament going silent.

Modi, who was far removed from the entire process then, questioning an Act of Parliament seems reprehensible since he should also be aware that it was the BJP which first raised the slogan of ‘one vote, two States’ way back in 1998 when the saffron party passed a resolution in Kakinada extending support to the Statehood cause.

In the words of Finance Minister T Harish Rao, Modi perhaps is unable to digest the fact that Telangana is all set to overtake his own Gujarat in development. But then there is a K Chandrashekhar Rao who is at the helm of affairs in Telangana. The Prime Minister has never had a kind word for Telangana and his deeds and action always smacked of discrimination, be it in granting projects, sanctioning funds or even delivering on the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act. Modi did make a vain attempt at damage control when he said he was not against the bifurcation per se, but his body language and expression while speaking on the subject blew his cover.

The Prime Minister’s remarks have not only infuriated the ruling TRS in the State, but also the Opposition parties including the Congress and the CPI which came out strongly against his remarks.

Coming down heavily on Modi, Harish Rao said the BJP never had any real affection for Telangana since the beginning and Modi was not qualified to speak on State formation as he played no role in it. He pointed out that the Prime Minister, who took away seven mandals and Lower Sileru project from the newly formed State without any consultations, had no moral right to speak about federal spirit.

Many leaders from Telangana including the ruling TRS and the Opposition parties as well as common public are questioning that what prompted the Prime Minister to raise the Telangana formation issue. Rather than thanking the President for addressing the Parliament, Modi chose to criticise the Congress and other Opposition parties as was done in the Lok Sabha on Monday. While there were numerous issues that could have been raised against the Congress, he chose to rake up the Telangana formation. “If not for his visceral hatred towards Telangana, what prompted him to raise the issue?” many TRS leaders questioned. Ministers S Niranjan Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Koppula Eeshwar among others stated that the Prime Minister’s remarks were against the federal spirit of the nation. They reminded that Telangana was formed with the consent of the entire Parliament including the BJP, through a democratic process.

The Opposition leaders including TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, CPI national secretary K Narayana and several others criticised the Prime Minister. They stated that by finding fault with the State bifurcation process, they alleged that Modi was questioning the Article-3 of the Constitution of India.

Modi’s hatred for Telangana exposed: Harish

Finance Minister T Harish Rao slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for his remarks against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh for creation of Telangana, stating that the latter had exposed his hatred for Telangana. “Telangana is a progressive State that has seen success on all fronts since its formation in 2014. Instead of appreciating the State’s growth and progress, Modi is now questioning the bifurcation itself,” he said.

Wondering if the Prime Minister could not stomach the fact that Telangana was all set to overtake his own State Gujarat in development, Harish Rao said the BJP government at the Centre had always shown discrimination against the southern State in allocation of funds and granting of projects.

Accusing the Modi government of apathy towards Telangana, Harish Rao said the Centre had refused to give national status to any of the projects in Telangana though they accorded the status to projects in BJP-ruled Karnataka and YSRCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh. “The increased cess on coal has made thermal power production expensive and the Centre also meted out injustice to Telangana by handing over the lower Sileru project to Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

Also read:

TRS launches scathing attack on BJP over Modi’s remarks

Modi worried as Telangana is ahead of Gujarat: Harish Rao

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