Congress Slams Governor Over Remarks Praising KCR

Criticizing Telangana Governor E S L Narasimhan for describing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao as "Kaleshwaram Chandrasekhar Rao", Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that the Governor, whose job it was to protect the Constitution, was lowering the status of his post by making such remarks.

Speaking to the media on Sunday along with senior leaders V Hanumantha Rao and D Sridhar Babu, Bhatti said that the Governor had spoken about the government and a particular party without keeping his position in mind.

He also said that it was saddening to see that the Governor had not questioned the government for changing the name of the project, which had earlier been named after the architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar.

Bhatti said that it was actually the previous Congress government that had launched the Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella project and spent Rs 10,000 crores of the total estimated cost of Rs 38,500 crores. However, the TRS government was trying to sideline the contributions of the Congress, starting by re-christening the project from the Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella project to the Kaleshwaram project.

He also accused the TRS government of doubling the project cost. But instead of asking the government why it had changed the name of the project and questioning it about raising the cost estimates, the Governor was praising KCR and Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao with epithets such as "Kaleshwaram Chandrashekar Rao" and "Kaleshwar Rao" respectively, Bhatti said.

He added said that it would surprise no one if the Governor one day re-christened Raj Bhavan as TRS Bhavan.

Demanding that the Governor review the irregularities reported in the Seetharama project by summoning the officials concerned to the Raj Bhavan, Bhatti threatened that if that was not done, the Congress would meet the President regarding the Governor's conduct.

V Hanumantha Rao alleged that a scam of Rs 80,000 crores was taking place in the state under the guise of construction projects. He reminded the people that former chief ministers like Lalu Prasad Yadav, too, had landed in jail for committing irregularities, and that a similar situation might occur in the state as well.

Rao supported Bhatti's statement regarding the complaint to the Union, and said that his party would lodge a complaint with the Prime Minister, too, against the Governor for his remarks.

Meanwhile, Sridhar Babu said that the state government was providing incorrect information to the Governor. He also said that the latter should have enquired whether compensation was being given to the farmers who had lost their lands under the projects.