Former minister and BJP leader Motkupalli Narasimhulu today came down heavily on TRS leader and former Health Minister Etala Rajender for allegedly usurping the lands given to Dalit beneficiaries by the Telangana government.
The BJP leader asked Rajender, who was
recently removed from the post of Health Minister after allegations of his involvement in land grabbing surfaced, how he could encroach on the lands assigned to the Dalit people in Medak district for his own personal gains.
"It is shameful to see that Etela has been claiming that he is fighting for his self-respect after he was caught usurping the lands of Dalits. He should be grateful to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Cabinet minister instead of criticising and attacking him. I, like many others, have been left shocked by the news that he has indulged in such a corrupt activity. It is especially cruel that a prominent BC leader has usurped the lands of a marginalised community. I wonder if he joined politics simply to get rich," Narasimhulu fumed.
The former minister then demanded that Rajender immediately return the usurped lands to their rightful Dalit owners.
While many leaders in Telangana have attacked Etala Rajender for claiming that the TRS and the CM had attacked him for personal reasons, he has found many allies as well. Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao recently
slammed KCR for his decision to dismiss Health Minister Etala Rajender from his post while TJS chief M Kodandaram also
openly extended his support to Rajender.