TRS Flays BJP On Amit Shah's Remarks

Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao today lashed out at the BJP leaders for making "baseless" comments on the "land of struggles and statehood fights".

Addressing the media along with minister G Jagadish Reddy, MP Suman, MLC Karne Prabhakar and others on Thursday, Rao criticized BJP national president Amit Shah for repeating a "blatant lie" that the Centre gave Rs 1 lakh crores to Telangana.

"Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao gave a fitting reply to the comments of the BJP leader, who should tender an apology for lying on the funding from the Centre. The comments of Shah were aimed at hampering the state's growth and progress, and the people of the state are not ready to welcome his meaningless comments," Rao said.

The BJP leaders tried to give replies to KCR's riposte, questions and challenges but could not prove Shah's claims, he said, which made it clear that Shah's statement that Rs 1 lakh crores came from the Centre was totally wrong. Neither the BJP national chief nor the state BJP leaders could give suitable replies to KCR's rebuttal, he ridiculed.

He repeated KCR's rejoinder that while the state was giving about Rs 50,000 crores in taxes to the Centre, the latter was returning only Rs 24,000 crores, which made it clear that the state was actually giving funds to the Centre.

The BJP leaders of the state who were making political comments should prove their love and affection for the state by mounting pressure on the NDA government to take an immediate call on the High Court bifurcation, he said. He slammed the Centre for failing to act on the repeated pleas for bifurcation of the High Court even after three years.

"The Centre also should announce one national project for Telangana as was done in the case of Andhra Pradesh, as per the AP Reorganisation Act. The BJP state leaders should work towards this and show where their loyalties lie," he said.

Rao pointed out that the state government was implementing its various ambitious schemes and projects as per plan, including Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya and other welfare schemes. "Other States are trying to emulate our programs by making visits and studying the details," he claimed.