BRS MLA Gampa Govardhan Does Not Turn Up For Public Debate

In a surprising twist of events, BRS MLA Gampa Govardhan, who had challenged former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir to an open debate and a joint inspection of the double bedroom house sites at Tekrial in Kamareddy, failed to appear for the highly anticipated discussion.

Shabbir Ali, accompanied by other Congress leaders and a media team, accepted Govardhan's challenge and arrived at the housing site in Tekrial on Monday morning.

However, Shabbir Ali found himself addressing an absent opponent, as Govardhan failed to show up for the debate.

Shabbir Ali however took matters into his own hands and led the media team to inspect the housing site.

He strongly criticized Govardhan's claims regarding the quality of construction, asserting that the two-bedroom houses were of sub-standard quality and would not last even half a century.

According to Shabbir Ali, the visible cracks and unstable walls of the units were alarming and posed a serious safety risk to the intended beneficiaries.

He demanded that the State government take action by recovering funds from the negligent contractor, and demolishing the existing and potentially dangerous 2BHK units.

He also criticized the BRS for conducting a biased selection process that favoured ineligible individuals, and said that a comprehensive inquiry should be conducted into the list of selected beneficiaries. He demanded the establishment of clear guidelines for identifying eligible individuals, with priority given to widows, single women and disabled persons, and called for a re-selection process after that to identify deserving beneficiaries.

Following the inspection, Congress leaders organized a protest rally, raising slogans against Govardhan and the BRS government.

In another development, nearly 200 members of the BRS and the BJP from Ward IV of Kamareddy joined the Congress under the leadership of Bassa Sailu. Shabbir Ali welcomed them into the Congress by offering the party's shawl.