Centre Ignoring Telangana: K T Rama Rao

Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao today lashed out at the BJP-led union government for its "step-motherly" attitude towards the state, and claimed that the government had always been disinterested in bringing development to its people.

Speaking after participating in the inauguration of a South Central Railway Employees Sangh Division office in Secunderabad, the minister alleged that the Centre had, despite its 'Sabka sath, sabka vikas' motto, failed to support the development of Telangana, and to sanction any railway projects in the state.

Expressing his displeasure at the government, Rao said, "It does not bode well for the country's development that the southern Indian states, especially Telangana, are so often ignored in the sanctioning of railway projects. Despite the fact that we have taken steps to allocate land for such projects, the Modi government has made no efforts to develop our state's rail infrastructure. There are no high speed or bullet trains being built here. It is unfortunate that the union government has not realised that high speed rail networks play a critical role in ushering in progress."

"After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Centre had promised to establish a railway coach factory in Telangana's Kazipet, and had sought the allocation of 162 acres of land for the project. And although we have already allotted about 300 acres for the purpose, there is no sign of a factory yet. This shows the Centre's shamefully negligent attitude towards our state," he added.

Reiterating the importance of a well-developed rail network, the minister said that a new state like Telangana needed high-speed rails to develop its economy, and urged the Centre to allot funds to the state for the creation of the same.

"There is an urgent need to develop and expand Telangana's rail network as this will help us develop the state better. I would urge the Modi government to look into the matter, and release funds for the expansion," he said.

On the occasion, KTR also made explicit his belief that the PSUs of the country should be strengthened, and said that the TRS government would always support such undertakings.

"The TRS government will not tolerate any attempts to weaken the PSUs of the country, including the railways. We have always supported such undertakings, and will continue to do so. We will also stand by the railway workers of our state, and will try to address the issues they might be facing, at the earliest," he said.

Deputy speaker Padma Rao Goud also attended the function.