Stall Parliament for funds: KCR to MPs

Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao instructed party MPs to raise a strong voice in Parliament during the upcoming Budget Session to secure pending funds and projects for Telangana state, stalling the session if need be to draw attention to the state’s demands. Discrimination against the state and the people was the main theme.

Rao directed the MPs to take the session seriously and attend the sittings on all days, sources said. The Chief Minister discussed 23 issues regarding Telangana state that needed to be raised in Parliament.

Rao was speaking at a meeting of the TRS Parliamentary Party at Pragathi Bhavan to chalk out a strategy for the Budget Session that is set to begin from Monday. The party's nine Lok Sabha members and five Rajya Sabha members were present.

Explaining the status of the representations submitted to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking funds for the state, the Chief Minister is learnt to have directed the MPs not to hesitate to stall the proceedings to step up pressure on the Centre.

Sources said the meeting pointed out that as per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 the Centre had to establish a tribunal to discuss water sharing between riverine states. It was stated that the Centre has failed to form the tribunal so far. The BJP government is still discriminating against Telangana and its people by not doing so, the meeting was told and the MPs were told to take up the issue.

Another contentious issue is the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) project. It was allotted to the state by the Centre but was cancelled and shifted to another state. “It was a clear case of discrimination against the Telangana people and thousands of unemployed youth lost an opportunity,” it was pointed out.

The party is pointing out that there is no movement on the tribal university promised in the Act.

With regard to the Bayyaram steel plant, proposed in the Act, officials convened a meeting on the project a few years ago but there has been no action since then, the Chief Minister said.

Other issues were the Centre’s failure to set up the railway coach factory that was to be established under the Act at Kazipet. At least Rs 720 crore GST dues are pending, the MPs were told. Besides, Rs 723 crore were still to be released to Telangana under the 14th Finance Commission.

TRS Lok Sabha member Dr Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta said that the Centre had failed to provide national status to the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme. He said the Centre must consider halting auction of coal belts, and hand them over to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited.

Venkatesh said it was pointed out that the Niti Aayog had directed the Centre to sanction Rs 25,000 crore to Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya. The Centre ignored the Niti Aayog, he said.

He said the party MPs would focus on securing the pending promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014