Telangana Finance Minister and senior TRS leader T Harish Rao today hit out at former minister Etala Rajender for "dumping" his own party.
Addressing a meeting of TRS workers and leaders, he claimed that no injustice had been done to Rajender by the TRS or the state government. Saying that the former minister had been given many good posts during his time in the party, he asked the latter to clarify what injustice the party had meted out to him.
"Etala Rajender should clearly state what our party did to wrong him. He keeps claiming that his self-respect was wounded by our actions but has not provided clarity on what these actions were. He needs to stop spreading falsehoods about Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the welfare schemes implemented by our government. Our welfare schemes provide benefits to various different sections of society. We have worked hard to continue these through the pandemic although the state's finances have taken a hit after the outbreak of Covid-19. In fact, we have also achieved financial growth even after facing many losses. Since everyone already knows this, Etala should stop spreading lies about our government," Rao seethed.
The minister also expressed serious displeasure at Rajender for "trying to become Chief Minister" when KCR was alive.
Talking about the upcoming by-election in Huzurabad, he said that the TRS would surely win the seat as the party's leadership was strong and the people all supported the KCR government.
"The people of Huzurabad will not support the BJP candidate or the Congress as both parties only spread lies and do little else. Our party remains popular as we are committed to welfare and development. We will continue to usher in growth despite the hurdles created by the Opposition. Etala should know that making objectionable remarks about the CM will not help the BJP's prospects," he added.