Congress Slams KCR for Skipping Last Rites Of Santhosh Babu

Former minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir strongly condemned Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao not attending the last rites of Galwan Valley martyr Colonel Santhosh Babu.

He was addressing a gathering after distributing food kits at Classic Function Hall, Kamareddy, among poor and physically handicapped people on the occasion of the birthday of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Friday.

The meeting began with the participants observing a two-minute silence in honour of the martyrs of Galwan Valley who were killed in a clash with the Chinese army.

Speaking on the occasion, Shabbir Ali strongly criticised the Chief Minister for not visiting the Hakimpet Air Force Station or Suryapet to pay homage to martyr Colonel Santhosh Babu.

He said that Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan herself visited the Air Force Station to pay tributes to the martyr when his body was brought to the city from Delhi. He said that after missing that, the Chief Minister should have at least attended the last rites of Santhosh Babu, as he was a son of Telangana. But the Chief Minister appeared to have had better things to do than visit the Air Force Station, or attend the last rites, or at least pay a visit to the family later, he said.

He pointed out that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel not only attended the last rites of martyrs from his state, but was among the people who carried the bodies of the martyrs on their shoulders. This was the kind of respect a Chief Minister needed to display towards martyrs, he said.

Shabbir Ali also pointed out that KCR had spent several hours with their families when some film personalities including Hari Krishna and Vijayanirmala had passed away in the past. By not attending the last rites of Col Santhosh Babu after that, the Chief Minister had shown utter disrespect to all the martyrs, the Indian Army and the entire nation, he alleged.

He demanded that the Chief Minister immediately visit Suryapet to meet the family members of Col Babu and announce a Rs 1 crore ex-gratia, a house or plot, and a government job for a family member.

"Those soldiers have laid down their lives serving the country, and it is our duty to take care of their families in every possible manner," he said.