KCR Failed As MP: Ponnala Lakshmaiah

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah on Sunday alleged that TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao had failed to perform as a Parliamentarian.

Participating in the "Meet The Press" programme organised by the Telangana English Journalist Association here, Ponnala said that KCR's attendance in Parliament was much below the national average.

As against the national average of 76%, KCR's attendance was just 13%.

Similarly, his participation in debates in the Lok Sabha was just 1.2%, while the national average was about 38%.

He also said that KCR never spoke about the Telangana issue in Parliament.

Ponnala further claimed that it were the Congress legislators who revived the Telangana movement in September 2000. Several months later, KCR floated the TRS after he came out of the TDP over denial of a berth in the cabinet of N Chandrababu Naidu.

However, KCR was now trying to take the entire credit for the formation of Telangana, Ponnala alleged. He said that KCR himself never participated in the major agitations, and preferred to stay at his farmhouse.

The TPCC Chief assured that the Congress party would bring overall development to the Telangana State.

He said that the Congress would ensure a stable government, good governance, social justice, self-respect and a "Bangaru" Telangana.

He ridiculed the TRS slogan of "Telangana Punarnirman" (Telangana Reconstruction). He said that reconstruction is done for things which are totally damaged. However, the Congress government had already brought development to the region.

He claimed that per capita income had increased by 20% in Telangana during the Congress regime, and that the per capita budget in Andhra Pradesh was the second largest in the country.

Ponnala said that special focus would be given to housing, pension and education if the Congress came into power in Telangana. (INN)